“The sun is bright yellow. The sky is blue. And the sand is that incredible red.”
She moved closer, her breath warm against his neck. “Ever since that day you showed it to me, I dream of it.”
“I dream of you.” In the small, dark space, the words came before he could yank them back, and he couldn’t stop himself from brushing his lips over the top of her head. “Every night.”
He was holding her closely enough that he could feel the rise and fall of her chest and hear her soft gasp of awareness at his words. If she had any idea just how sexy his dreams were...
“You can’t.”
She whispered the words, but every part of him was attuned to every part of her. To her heart beating fast against his, to the heat of her body everywhere she was touching him, to every sound and breath she made.
“Do you, Ash?” He brushed his fingertips across her cheek in the dark, and she turned it into his palm with a soft moan. “Do you dream about me the way I can’t stop dreaming about you?”
“Drew, please.”
He didn’t know if she was whispering his name to ask him to stop...or to beg him to give her another forbidden kiss. Praying she was dying for his mouth on hers as badly as he needed to feel hers beneath his, he cradled her jaw in his hand and began to lower his mouth to hers, beyond desperate for another taste of her.
Sweet Lord, he’d never been looking forward to a kiss so much in all his li—
Ashley was jolted nearly out of his arms as the elevator came back to life and the overhead lights turned on.
Her eyes were huge as she took a step back and pressed herself against the elevator wall in an effort to get as far away from him as she could. And yet again, before he could find any of the right words to say—whatever the hell those could possibly be at this point—they reached the fourth floor and the doors opened.
She was out of the elevator in a flash, and James was clearly concerned as he took in her flushed cheeks. “Ashley, do you need anything? A drink of water? Or maybe just to look out a window for a few seconds?”
“No, thanks, I’m fine.”
But anyone could tell that she wasn’t. And Drew knew it was entirely his fault.
He wasn’t the kind of guy to play mind games with a woman. What’s more, Ashley was the very last person he’d ever want to mess around with. Especially considering how great she’d been to talk to about his mom and his music.
The problem was, he’d never felt about anyone the way he felt about her. When she was in his arms, he wanted to hold her forever and never let her go. And every word she spoke played straight to his soul, affecting him more strongly than any song ever had.
James didn’t ask Drew how he was doing after being stuck in the elevator. On the contrary, his bodyguard scowled at him. Don’t hurt her, was the clear message in the other man’s eyes, right before they stepped into the TV studio.
Drew worked like hell to concentrate on his job and give his fans the best interview he could, but with Ashley only a few feet away behind the cameras, he knew he wasn’t coming anywhere close to pulling it off. Because even though he’d vowed that Ashley would leave his tour as pure as she’d come, he still couldn’t stop hoping that her answer to his question about whether she dreamed of him was yes.
Chapter Thirteen
Ashley was standing in front of the table on the bus, quickly reading through her email before heading into the venue to watch Drew’s show, when she suddenly felt him move behind her.
“Close the computer and turn around, Ash.” When she didn’t obey his command fast enough, he put his hands over hers and bent his mouth to her ear. “I promise you’ll be glad you did.”
Together, they closed her laptop, and then he moved his hands to her waist to turn her around to face him.
“I thought you were about to start your show,” she said, her voice sounding far huskier than it normally did.
“The opening band went on late.” His eyes were dark as midnight. “Which gives me time to make up for what happened in the elevator.”
“You don’t have to—” Her words fell away as he stroked his hands up her back from her waist to her shoulders.
“I do.” He brushed her hair over one shoulder, then bent his head to press a kiss to the skin he’d exposed at the side of her neck. “You taste so good. Your mouth. Your neck.” He licked out against her, and she shuddered at the pleasure of it. “I need to taste more of you. I don’t care what anyone else thinks about the two of us. Just you.” He took her earlobe between his teeth, and she couldn’t hold back a moan of pleasure as he lightly scraped over her sensitive flesh. “Do you still want me the way you said you did?”