Crazy Baby Read online

  “I’m always ready for you, baby. Stay home today and I’ll prove it to you. All day long.”

  I can’t breathe.

  He’s smirking knowingly.

  Everyone is looking at us expectantly.

  My face is glowing red.

  I’m flustered and can’t think straight.

  “Be careful driving to the studio. I’m all yours when you get home,” he adds before Tom puts the mouthpiece back in Luke’s mouth again.

  With that, the bell rings and Luke’s back to sparring. I stand, my eyes transfixed on him for several more seconds. My heart battles with my head and with my body that’s still humming, I might add, before I finally leave for my destination.

  I’m definitely late now, but I reason that it won’t matter since my set is shorter than the others. Besides, I have to wait until they finish their sets before Travis and I can practice together anyway. Winding through traffic, running through yellow lights, and avoiding the known hot traffic spots, I finally make it. I’m only ten minutes late—okay, fine, I’m fifteen minutes late.

  As I get out of my car, everyone is walking out the front door of the studio and all eyes are on me. Feeling the weight of their stares and questioning eyes is a little unnerving.

  “What’s going on?” I ask no one in particular.

  Katelyn chimes in before anyone else can. “So glad you could join us today, Andi,” she says sarcastically. “We’re doing a full rehearsal, and the label reserved the arena for us. We’re obviously late leaving now. Let’s go, everyone.”

  With that, we all climb into the back of a stretch SUV limo. One whole side of the vehicle is lined with bottles, glasses, and small refrigerators. The other side is a long, comfortable bench that resembles couches instead of car seats. They wrap around the back of the vehicle, giving the impression of a sectional sofa inside a car. Small lights scattered throughout the vehicle illuminate the white and charcoal gray interior.

  This is riding in rock-star style.

  “I’m sorry I was late, guys. I had no idea we were doing this today. I had to run some errands this morning that couldn’t wait,” I announce to the group.

  “It really isn’t a big deal, Andi,” Travis assures me. “I’d pulled up just before you did. Katelyn is just too good at her job sometimes.”

  “All the time,” Katelyn chimes in without ever looking up from her phone.

  We all chuckle at her reply in an easy manner.

  “Yeah, Andi, don’t sweat it, girl. If you let this dictate your life, it’ll run all over you,” Cami adds. “Do what you need to do, when you need to do it, and everything else can wait. Fifteen minutes is nothing in the grand scheme of time.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  TRAVIS

  I nudge Katelyn with my elbow during Andi’s performance and raise my eyebrows at her. “Can I pick them or can I pick them?”

  “Let’s see how the audience responds to her first before we go getting all cocky, Travis.” Katelyn dismisses me.

  “Come on. She’s amazing and you know it. They’ll eat her up.”

  A makeshift stage has been erected for our practice today, but our actual touring stage is much more intricately designed. When we get to the first stop, we’ll do a full sound check several hours before the actual show time. Since this is Andi’s first tour, we’ll do a full rehearsal to help her feel more comfortable. After the first time, she’ll be an old pro and know what to expect so it won’t be as intimidating for her.

  Andi wanted to bring her same flair and style from her karaoke skits on the road with her, so I’ve made sure that Katelyn has accommodated her as much as we can. Her band will be various studio musicians that’ll meet us at each location. They’ll be set up to the side of the stage, allowing Andi to be the full focus of the audience.

  “We’ve started distributing the media packets for the tour. Everyone already knows your band and Fireflies, but there have been a lot of questions about Andi,” Katelyn says, a little too nonchalantly.

  “What questions about her?” I ask defensively.

  “The normal questions. How she got this gig, if she’s good enough to tour with you, and if she’s your girlfriend.”

  “They think she’s my girlfriend?” I ask, surprised that Katelyn is sharing this with me.

  “Most do, yes. They’ve seen the commercials the two of you have shot together. They say you have great chemistry. When they realized you’ll have two duets with her, they were adamant about wanting the scoop on your relationship.”

  “Which outlet wanted the scoop?” I ask, clarifying which media outlet she’s referring to.

  “Almost every single one of them, Travis. You’re big news, and if your girlfriend is touring with you, that’s also big news,” Katelyn gives me a pointed look.

  “Don’t use her, Katelyn.” My tone and expression warn her.

  Cocking her head to the side and pulling her head backward, she openly gapes at me. “You care about her.”

  She’s not asking, she’s not guessing, and she’s not amused. I return her don’t-fuck-with-me stare for several long seconds before turning my attention back to Andi.

  “Travis,” Katelyn starts.

  “Don’t, Katelyn. Just. Don’t.” I stop her.

  “I hope you know what you’re doing,” she mutters to herself.

  Andi has taken control of the stage. It is hers to master and command. Her routine is high-energy, with dance numbers, costume changes, and her signature skits. She only has a handful of songs, but she believes in doing it right. She moves from one side of the stage to the other side with completely fluid movements. She was obviously born to perform, and she clearly loves doing it.

  “Maybe we should make her set longer,” I muse, mostly to myself.

  “No,” Katelyn replies emphatically.

  Slowly turning my head, I pierce her with my eyes. “What?”

  “We can’t change the timing on the sets. There are too many things that have to happen at specific intervals. Besides, Sound Bar is the main draw. The majority of the crowd doesn’t even show up until just before you come on anyway,” she argues.

  “Hmm, you’re right,” I say as I stroke my chin with my thumb and forefinger, deep in thought.

  “What was that? Did you say I’m right?”

  “No, you misunderstood me. I’d never say that.”

  “What are you planning, Travis?” she asks tentatively. She knows me far too well, and it makes it hard to hide anything from her.

  “Maybe we add a third song to the duet lineup, but I come onstage with her and sing it.”

  “No. Absolutely not. You’re the main act, and your arrival onstage is a big deal! You have to make a grand entrance,” she contends adamantly.

  “It was just a thought,” I concede. She’s right, after all. The label would be pissed and so would the fans that didn’t show up for the opening acts.

  “Don’t think any more, then,” Katelyn replies dryly, making me laugh out loud.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Andi finishes practicing her set, and the stagehands rush to set up the stage for Fireflies. Andi comes bounding down the steps, still full of energy and excitement, and I stand to greet her. She flies into my arms, and I instinctively lift her off the ground, spinning her around as her arms squeeze me tightly.

  She squeals her delight and excitement, and I can’t help but laugh. My mind automatically wanders to imagine how she’d sound making different kinds of noises while in my arms. I bury my nose in her hair, nuzzling through it until I reach the skin of her neck just below her ear. It takes every ounce of my willpower not to voice my every thought of what I want to do to her.

  Hopping back down, like she didn’t just rock my entire world, she talks animatedly about her rehearsal.

  “Oh my God! That was so amazing!” Her face lights up, and she hops up and down on her toes.

  “Just wait until you have an arena full of people watching you and cheering you on,” I smi
le as I say.

  “I doubt it’ll be full when I’m onstage, Travis. Everyone waits until the main act takes the stage, including me, but I’m still just thrilled to be a part of this.” She smiles brightly.

  Katelyn gives me a hard look, as if she already knows I’m considering offering to join Andi onstage to help bring in more people. I can’t offer, I know this, but it’s killing me nonetheless. “I bet you’ll be surprised at how many people show up.”

  “It doesn’t matter. I’ll be happy regardless of how many people come to hear me,” she assures me. “And I love the cover songs the label picked for me! Can I add an extra verse or two to one of them?”

  “Run the lyrics by me and I’ll find out,” Katelyn replies.

  “Okay, great. I’ll work on the wording and get it to you.”

  “Have a seat and watch Fireflies perform while you have a chance,” I say, motioning to the seat next to mine.

  Katelyn gives me a warning look and walks off, leaving Andi and me alone. As she sits, I wrap my arm around the back of her chair. Inching my hand closer and closer to her, I don’t think she notices my thumb caressing her shoulder blade when she becomes engrossed in the performance onstage.

  When Cami starts singing a slow song, I rise and extend my hand to Andi. “May I have this dance?”

  She looks up at me from under her lashes, her smile demure and beautiful. She takes my hand and I pull her into my arms. As Cami belts out the words of a love song, Andi and I sway in the darkness in front of the stage. The spotlights only illuminate the stage, but there’s enough light for me to see Andi’s gorgeous face.

  “You honestly were great up there,” I tell her.

  “Thank you,” she replies. Her cheeks fill with a beautiful shade of pink that shows even in this dim lighting. “I watched a lot of videos of your performances to get an idea of what I should do.”

  “Are you cyberstalking me, Andi?” I ask teasingly. She lowers her face, unable to hide her smile or her nervous laugh. “I’m flattered. And shocked to find out you’re a creeper. Maybe I need to increase my security.”

  “Stop it!” she laughs. “There are so many videos of you online it’s impossible to not cyberstalk you!”

  “Sounds like a guilty conscience to me,” I deadpan, but keep swaying to the slow song. “Anything else you feel the need to confess?”

  “I think that’s enough for now,” she replies, pursing her lips to the side as she considers my question.

  “There is more!” I laugh. “Now you have to tell me.” I squeeze her lightly to prod her, but also because I selfishly want her as close to me as I can get her.

  “Oh my God,” she groans, shaking her head, and I have to withhold my own groan.

  Bending down to her ear, I urge her again. “I’m not giving up, Andi. You might as well go ahead and tell me.”

  “I may or may not have Googled you,” she says quickly.

  “You what? Did you just say you Googled me?”

  Putting her forehead on my chest, her shoulders jump with her laughter. “Yes, I Googled you. Are you happy now?”

  “That depends. What’d you find? Are those sexy, naked pictures of me still out there? What about that accidentally leaked sex tape? Did you find it, too?” I tease.

  “I’m never telling you anything again,” she jokingly retorts.

  “Ah. You must’ve found something really good on me. Do tell.”

  “It just seems you’ve had your share of models, actresses, and singers for girlfriends over the years,” she finally says.

  “So, checking out the competition, huh?” I tease.

  “No,” she laughs, smacking my chest before wrapping her arm around my neck again. “It’s a little hard to miss all the pictures of you with a different beautiful girl on your arm in every one of them.”

  “You know they say ex-girlfriends are an ex for a reason?” I ask and she nods. “That goes for every one of those girls. Most of them were probably for publicity stunts anyway.”

  “You really do that? Act like you’re seeing someone just to create buzz?”

  “Sure,” I admit. Disapproval flashes in her eyes before she quickly masks it.

  She doesn’t like that?

  Cami’s slow song ends, and I reluctantly let go of Andi. Taking our seats again, I make sure to sit as close to her as I can. I need to get to the bottom of this.

  “It’s really not a big deal, is it?” I ask her.

  She shrugs one shoulder. “It means lying to your fans, doesn’t it?”

  Leaning back in my chair, her words hit me hard. I’ve never thought of it in that light before. My publicist from the label just shoves me in the direction I need to go, and I go.

  “Wow. Never thought of it that way before,” I admit when I realize she’s watching me.

  “It’s not my business. I shouldn’t have said that. Don’t listen to me.” She quickly tries to cover.

  “I saw that look in your eye, Andi. I can tell you don’t like it.”

  Her surprised look says more than her words. She didn’t think I noticed, but I notice everything about her. I notice how her clingy shirt accentuates her curves. I notice how the neckline plunges low enough to hint at cleavage. My body notices how much more of a turn-on that is than the girls who show up backstage, half-naked and more than willing to provide their services. Watching her out of the corner of my eye, I know when she’s paying attention to me and when her attention is focused elsewhere.

  I’ve learned most of her expressions and how to read her body language. Her brown eyes are so expressive and she wears her heart on her sleeve. It shouldn’t surprise me that she doesn’t approve of me pretending to date another famous person to help further both of our careers.

  “It doesn’t really matter what I think about it, Travis. They’re your career decisions to make.”

  Her words say one thing, but the fact that she’s crossed her arms over her chest, turned her body slightly away from me, and is now solely focused on the girls onstage tells me otherwise. It bothers her that I’ve deceived her.

  It bothers me that I’ve deceived her.

  “If it’s any consolation, it wasn’t my idea. The label tells me when I need to do it, and I just do it,” I explain.

  She nods slowly. “And if you were in a real relationship at the time? What would your label expect then?”

  When her eyes swing to meet mine, the unspoken challenge in them is unmistakable. Would I remain loyal to my relationship or to my label?

  I’ve found her hot button. She just revealed the very character trait that could mean winning her over to the Travis-side. The key to her heart and to way to gain her trust can be summed up in one word—loyalty.

  “If I were in a serious, committed relationship with the right lady, the whole world would know about it. I would shout it from the rooftops and let every man out there know she’s all mine.

  “I’d never betray the love of my life like that. When I win the heart of the one person I’d like to spend the rest of my life with, every other woman in the world would cease to exist in my eyes.”

  She searches my eyes for a few seconds, and my mind wills her to see I’m telling the truth. Maintaining her gaze, I intentionally soften my features and give her my best smile. She can’t help but smile in return, and I can’t help but feel like I’ve just won a small victory with this odd conversation.

  “You’re trouble, Travis Malone,” she finally speaks.

  “Why am I trouble?”

  “Because you use that smile to get out of trouble, to make others forget what they were thinking, and even worse—you know it.”

  “My smile got me out of trouble?” I ask, amused.

  “Don’t even. You know damn well what you were doing. Like a charming little boy who gets in trouble but knows how to play his unsuspecting mom with a smile and a kiss on the cheek.” She shakes her head, but she’s still smiling.

  “So you think I’m charming? I did smile, but I didn�
�t get to try the kiss on the cheek thing. Thanks for the tip. I’ll have to use that next time I ‘get in trouble’ with you,” I reply, air quoting the words she used.

  She narrows her eyes at me in mock offense. “Are you making fun of me?”

  “Never. I would be far too afraid to make fun of a woman who knows how to throw a real punch.” I hold my hands up in surrender.

  “Yeah, you just remember that. Pop taught me everything I need to know,” she boasts, flexing her feminine muscles.

  Cami and the girls finish their set, and it’s time for Sound Bar to rehearse. We stand as Cami approaches us, her smile covering her pretty face. “Being up there is always so awesome! Even with just these few people out there, I can still picture the place packed and everyone singing along to our songs.”

  “You sounded awesome,” Andi compliments her.

  “Thanks, sis,” she says, throwing her arm around Andi’s shoulders, and they begin walking away from me.

  “Travis, you’re up,” Katelyn says from behind me.

  “Yeah, okay.”

  Taking the stage feels like reuniting with an old friend after a long absence. It feels like home, but it’s also the ultimate rush. Mike, Kale, and Drew warm up their instruments while I warm up my voice. When we start our set, we are on fire. Working like a well-oiled machine, we’re in time and in tune with each other. We are all so ready and so stoked for this tour that we’d be willing to skip Christmas at home.

  The set flies by and suddenly we’re at the place where Andi joins me for our duets. I can’t wait to perform these songs in front of live audiences before they’re ever released as singles. The sensual, seductive nature of the lyrics will drive the crowds wild and also give me an excuse to play up the words with Andi.

  As she makes her way up the stairs, I try to play it cool, but when Kale catches my eye, his smirk tells me that I’m transparent as hell. If it’s so obvious to everyone else, I decide to start playing it up as much as possible. Either she’ll get the hint or she’ll think I’m kidding, but I’ll get a real reaction from her either way.