Page 9

Hours later, I saw the flaw in my reasoning.

Sitting in my bunk, staring at my laptop screen, I allowed my mind to run wild.

Maybe Felix didn't look at London not because he didn't like her…but because it was too painful. Just because Ryker was in love with her didn't mean Felix couldn't be too. And…oh goodness, if that was the case, he could be burying his feelings for London down deep out of love and respect for his brother, sacrificing his happiness so they could be together.

Thinking back, I remembered their hug.

London was definitely happy to see Felix.

He didn't push her away.

Did they cling to each other tighter than friends would?

Did the embrace last a little too long?

I couldn't recall—but even if he wasn't interested in London, there was a very real possibility that Felix had another person he actually wanted.

Maybe she lived in one of the cities we'd be visiting on tour.

Heck, maybe he had a girl in every city.

I added another item to the Cons of Kissing Felix column.

Other girls—I may suffer by comparison .

I'd retyped my list and currently had two documents open. Luckily, the pros and cons were now nearly balanced. I felt like I had everything I needed to make an educated decision. Just beneath th at was one line of text.

Felix might laugh at me or think I was crazy.

But after everything (including my overthinking brain and oversensitive heart), I felt better just having it written down.

Set RULES and follow them .

I skimmed the words again then nodded.

Now, I just had to get Felix's opinion, and we'd be all good.

The other document was my end-of-day musings. I'd decided to call it my tour diary. At the top, it said Day 2: Fake dating, Felix, and the Kiss . I reread the entry and blushed. Did I spend way too long detailing how amazingly talented Felix's lips were, the soft slide of his tongue, the flex of his fingers on my thighs? Probably. But this was for my eyes only. No one else would see it, so I could say what I wanted. Plus, it was accurate, so…

I ended with a few words about London , how nice, confident and beautiful she was. I really couldn't blame Felix if he was interested in her. A nd I shouldn't care, I reminded myself, because what we had was fake.

All was silent except the horrendous snoring coming from the front of the bus. The guys stayed up talking to London, but everyone had gone to bed a while ago . Pretty sure I was the last one up. Feeling satisfied with my list, I was about to call it a night when someone stopped outside my bunk.

"Hey princess, you awake?"

"Yeah," I said.

Felix pulled open my curtain and leaned in.

"What are you working on?" he asked.

I was so surprised by his presence it took me a second to react. Following his gaze, I saw the very personal documents I still had open and quickly closed my laptop and slid it under the bed. When I looked up at him, Felix's face was blank. He gave nothing away. I wasn't sure how much he saw, but I hoped it wasn't a lot.

"Nothing," I said evasively.

He tilted his head. "You mind if I stay with you?"

Again, I was too stunned to reply.

" It's more for my protection than yours. The sleepcuddler's at it again."

Just then, I heard Ryker say, "Get your ass out of my bed, Santino."

There was an 'oof' and a groan which I could only assume was Santino. This was followed by the sound of feet shuffling down the aisle and then silence.

"He's already been kicked out of Hayden, Elliot, and Taylor's beds. Only a matter of time before he gets to me." Felix was waiting for an answer. "So, what do you say?"

I stared at him.

"I won't try anything. Promise."

"Okay," I heard myself say.

Felix grinned then got in beside me. These bunks obviously weren't meant for two people. I had to turn on my side, so we could both fit. The space never felt smaller—or more intimate. My twin bed dipped as his weight settled behind me, and we ended up back-to- back. His closeness, the feel of him was impossible to ignore, but I tried to close my eyes, quiet my overactive imagination and sleep.

Too bad, Felix wanted to talk.

"Were you writing about me?" he asked.

"What?"

"Thought I saw my name."

Biting back a curse, I said, "It's not important."

"Kissing's always important, princess."

I sighed.

So, he had seen.

Wonderful.

"You even made a list," Felix added. "Looked like there were more pros than cons ."

"You saw my screen for like five seconds."

"Hmmm. Saw something about rules too."

I shook my head. "Can we talk about this tomorrow?"

"But I'm wide awake."

"Unfortunately," I mumbled.

I felt him shifting and knew he'd turned around to face me.

"I thought we weren't doing rules," he said.

The way his breath brushed against my neck with every word was far too distracting.

And delightful.

Giving up, I turned as well—careful to avoid contact with him as much as possible. My thighs still ended up brushing against his in the most delicious way, and when I finally fac ed him, Felix was so close I could see the little flecks of gold in his eyes and make out his slight frown even in the dark.

"I decided we need some," I replied. "I wrote that down so I wouldn't forget, and I was going to discuss it with you tomorrow. After we'd both gotten some sleep."

"Let's talk now," he said.

"That sounded like an order."

"More like a firm request."

Felix waited.

"Well, I have concerns," I said.

"Okay, shoot."

"Kissing. I 'm not sure it's a good idea."

"Why not?"

I searched his expression . "Because it's too intimate. Real feelings might get involved."

"So?"

"So," I repeated, "we shouldn't do it."

"Never gonna work, princess. If we're dating, our lips are going to touch."

I felt my face heat and knew he was gazing at my mouth even in the dark.

"We both like it too much," he said.

How did he do that? I wondered. Confess something that personal so easily without even a hint of embarrassment?

Clearing my throat, I whispered, "That's exactly why we have to stop. Felix, don't you get it? Fake relationships fail when people catch feelings."

He stared at me a moment.

"What are the others?" he said then added, "You said concerns, plural. As in more than one."

Felix was far too observant, but I steeled myself and told him.

"It's silly considering our situation. But…n o dating anyone else, at least during the tour," I said.

"Of course . Next?"

I was surprised but tried not to let it show. I thought he might've put up more of a fight on that one. Guess I was wrong.

"I don't think we should say I love you," I murmured.

"Say what?"

"I love you," I repeated.

His lips twitched as he said, "Looks like you just broke your own rule."

"I'm serious," I said . " Those words mean something. Again, we should avoid confusion and any misunderstandings."

"Don't tell me," he said . "One of your concerns/rules is 'No falling in love.'"

My jaw dropped open. "How could you possibly know that?"

"I didn't."

"Then how…?"

Felix reached out and gently tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear, making me trail off.

"I heard what you said to your mom in the parking lot."

I frowned . What was he—

"Don't fall in love with a rockstar," he said.

"You weren't supposed to hear that," I mumbled, the memory playing clear as day in my mind, my promise to my mother sounding silly all of a sudden. Also, "I can't believe you remember that."

"But I do ," he said quietly. "It's good advice."

I swallowed. "So, not a mind reader then."

"Just getting a better idea of how your mind works."

"And?" I asked. " Do you agree about the rules?"

Felix shook his head. "Absolutely not."

I blinked at that.

"Told you already, princess. If you set rules, I'll just want to break them. It's better if we leave it open."

"You're so sure of yourself," I said.

"Confidence is an attractive quality." I could hear the grin in his voice when he added, "Maybe you should add that to your list."

I rolled my eyes then turned my back on him. "I'm going to sleep now."

"Thanks for sharing your bunk with me."

"No problem."

"Goodnight, Aurora."

"Night, Felix."

He hadn't agreed. In fact, he flat-out refused to go along with the rules. He also invaded my space, read my personal writings and teased me about them. For some reason, though , I still fell asleep with a smile on my face.

#

My eyes opened slowly.

Something woke me. A sound or movement. I wasn't sure.

But I did know I felt surprisingly warm, comfortable, and…

Was that an arm wrapped around my waist?

Glancing down, I realized that yes. Yes, it was.

The night before replayed in my mind, and my breathing shallowed as I tried not to move a muscle. I was facing the wall of my bunk, and Felix's arm—because that's definitely who it belonged to—was right there, resting in the curve of my waist. The hard chest pressed against my back was new too. An exhale ruffled my hair slightly, and my breath hitched . The arm tightened around me, causing Felix's hand to brush against my stomach, and I bit my lip as he buried his nose deeper into my neck.

He wasn't awake.

I knew that.

But…I was, and I couldn't deny that I liked this. Waking up next to him, being in his arms, I wanted to stay there and savor the moment, pretend it meant something.

Which was why I was going to put an end to it.

In a minute.

Or five.

It was rude to wake someone up, right? Especially when they were sleeping so well?

I'd just let him nap a little longer and—

I heard a noise, the same one that woke me, and realized it was my phone. I'd put it on vibrate, so if it rang, the sound wouldn't wake anyone. Being sure not to jostle him, I reached forward, picked up my cell, winced when I saw the caller ID, and answered.

"Hey, Mom," I whispered with the phone pressed against my ear.

"Hi, Ror ," she said back. "How are you?"

"Fine. And you?"

"I'm terrific. Never better. Just fantastic."

I paused. "Is something wrong?"

"What? No," she said. "Why would there be?"

"You just sound off. Too cheery for so early in the morning and… kinda tense?"

"Oh well, that could be because I stayed up all night waiting for my daughter to call." I winced and closed my eyes as her voice got sweeter. "You know, my daughter who's never been away from home. The one who promised to call every night no matter what."

"Mom…"

"The one I love and worry about every second of every day."

"I'm sorry," I said, meaning it. "I didn't mean to scare you."

She sniffed. "It's not me you should be apologizing to. You know how your father gets."

Dad's voice came through then as he said, "Don't believe it, Ror . Your mom was the one checking the phone every half hour. I went to bed early."

"Clayton, you are such a liar." Mom sighed. "He nearly called that band manager , Taylor, but I stopped him because it might embarrass you. Plus, I just knew you'd call when you could."

I bit my lip then said again, "I am so, so sorry. I honestly forgot. After the second show and everything that happened, I was too tired."

"We understand ," Dad said. " Right, Lil?"

Mom took a deep breath. " We do," she said finally. "Nobody's perfect, least of all me. When I was in high school, I drove my parents crazy. It's amazing they survived everything I put them through. But…you've never been like that."

"I know."

"And I just love you so much."

Gah, I felt so guilty.

"Call your mom. She worries. You know?"

"I do," I said. "I'll make sure to give you daily updates as promised—though I don't know if there'll be much to tell."

"Please"—she scoffed—"you're on tour with a band."

"I have loved playing with them."

Felix most of all, I thought but didn't say.

"That's good." Mom sounded like she was smiling. " Have there been any rowdy parties you shouldn't tell us about?"

"No," I said truthfully.

"Come on, Ror, you can tell us," Dad coaxed.

"No parties—thank goodness."

"If there is one, you should go—but only if you want to."

"Thanks, Dad, but I think we all know I avoid parties like the plague."

"You're having fun, though?" Mom asked.

"It's been…interesting."

Dad laughed. "Any boy drama we should know about?"

Besides the fact that I have a fake boyfriend who is currently giving me the best lesson in spooning ever?

"If there was, would you really want to know?" I answered.

"I would," Mom said at the same time Dad said, "Not really."

With a quiet laugh, I said, " Okay, enough about me. Anything going on there?"

"Just missing you," Mom said. "How many more days till you come home?"

"I'd have to check my calendar."

"Seven weeks and two days," Dad said.

A beat passed.

"Not that I'm counting or anything."

"Call me," Mom said, "or next time I'll let your father file a police report."

"Your mom seriously almost did that, Ror."

"Geez, okay, I'll call," I said with a smile. "I love you guys ."

They said they loved me too, and when the conversation ended , I released a heavy exhale. I felt terrible about forgetting to call them. It was the one thing they'd asked, and I'd let them down. Determined not to let it happen again, I set a reminder on my phone then put it away. I was just beginning to relax when...

"Your parents sound nice," Felix said.

I startled. "How long have you been awake?"

"A while."

He was still curled around me, so I felt it a moment later when he chuckled.

"What?" I asked.

"Just wondering what they'd do if they knew we slept together."

My face flamed, but I said, "My dad would probably kill you, but that's if my mom didn't get to you first."

He laughed again, and the sound brought a real smile to my face.

"Seriously. You'd be in danger—and my cousins would want to defend my honor too."

"I like hearing there are people looking out for you."

I gulped. "Really? Why?"

"Because you deserve that."

Butterflies took flight in my chest, fluttering around in a frenzy. It was the most romantic, kindest thing anyone had ever said to me. I wanted to bottle up this feeling and never let it go.

"Thanks, you too," I said because I'm an idiot and had to ruin the moment.

"It's not a bad way to wake up," Felix put in, echoing my thoughts from earlier.

"No, it's not."

"I slept better than I have in a long time."

"Me too," I said quietly.

"Maybe we could do this again."

"You might need protection from Santino."

"Yeah, and it's totally innocent."

"Totally," I agreed.

"Could be for the best all things considered."

"Definitely."

And that was how I ended up sharing a bed with Felix Cordova.