Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18

NOAH

G emma looked like a freaking movie star when I picked her up to go to the airport. As soon as she opened the door, my jaw tried to hit the ground. My eyes raked all over her multiple times before I finally managed to speak.

“You’re gorgeous,” I mumbled as I forced my gaze back to hers. “Maybe we should catch a later flight. It wouldn’t be the first time I missed my actual departure time.”

Her cheeks flushed a beautiful shade of crimson that made me wonder if the other cheeks would turn the same color if I spanked her. Oh, God. Stop it.

Gemma giggled as she took my hand and gave it a soft squeeze. “We’re not missing our flight, Superman. You might not be a stranger to it, but I’ve never even almost been late for departure. I’m not planning on starting today.”

“We could add it as an item to your Naughty List?” I suggested, my voice suddenly throaty. “I’ve got a few other ideas for things we could add too. If you’d like, I’d be more than happy to show you.”

“Maybe once we get to Nashville.” She flashed me a coy smile. “Actually, scratch that. Definitely when we get to Nashville.”

I groaned but nodded, flexing the muscles in my thighs in an attempt to combat the hard-on I felt coming. “If you didn’t want to be late, you should’ve worn a burlap sack.”

She laughed, her eyes sparkling with humor and something a little hotter. She stepped out of her house dragging a suitcase on wheels behind her. Once she was on the porch, she turned to lock up and I took the opportunity to check out her ass in those pants.

Gemma was dressed in all black—with the exception of a tan leather jacket and boots—but the turtleneck she had on accentuated her smooth, porcelain skin and those big green eyes. Her hair shone like white gold and her legs looked a mile long in her high-heeled boots.

It didn’t help that her pants and the turtleneck were so fitted that every one of her curves was on display, the jacket short enough that I could see exactly where her waist dipped into her hips. Although she was short and petite, she had these soft, feminine curves that drove me out of my damn mind.

I reached for her before she turned away from the doors. Sliding my hands onto her hips and tugging her into my front, I dipped my head to speak against her ear. “When we get to Nashville, then, but don’t forget that you made me wait all day.”

She let out a breathy chuckle, her lids sliding shut. She leaned her head against my shoulder. “Don’t forget? Why not?”

“Because two can play that game, baby,” I murmured, my lips moving against her loose hair. The scent of it, floral and sweet, wafted to my nostrils on every inhale, and between that and the sensation of having her little body pressed up to mine, I lost the fight against my growing erection. “I’m curious. Have you ever begged before?”

Her lips parted, her cheeks flushing again. She shook her head. “I’m not opposed to trying.”

“Good girl.” I grinned against her temple before I realized that if I didn’t let go right then, we really were going to miss our flight.

Gemma quickly finished locking up. Then I carried her suitcase to the waiting car and joined her in the backseat, immediately sliding my arm around her shoulders. I honestly didn’t seem to be able to get enough of her, but it didn’t look like she minded.

She scooted over as far as the seatbelt would allow, burrowing into my side. She caught me up on everything going on with her friends. Meanwhile, I couldn’t stop wondering why I hadn’t ordered a car with a privacy partition.

Either way, we were at the airport too soon, forced to part in order to get to the check-in counter, get our baggage checked, and go to our gate. Once we were inside, we headed off to grab some snacks for the plane, and soon after, it was time to board.

As a flight attendant came past with champagne, I took two glasses and grinned when I handed one over to Gemma. “Want to spill on me? If it guarantees a trip to the bathroom together, you can even have my glass too. Spill away.”

She laughed, leaning in to nuzzle my neck before resting her head on my shoulder. The movement was so intimate and so familiar even though no one had ever done anything like that with me that I suddenly felt like I really meant something to her.

My heart did a whole lot of weird leaps and flops. As we took off, I kissed the top of her head, marveling about how things had changed since our first time on a plane together.

Throughout the flight, she was always touching me in one small way or another, and I fucking loved it. I loved feeling like she and I were together. I’d known we were, obviously, but all of this was making it feel real.

We weren’t just hanging out or on a date that would end soon. We were traveling together. She was going to be staying with me once we got to Tennessee. We were making plans about how we were going to spend our days together and it was just different .

I was crazy about it.

When we landed in Nashville, I slung my arm around her shoulders. Each of us dragged a suitcase behind us. A security team was waiting once we’d disembarked, and Gemma frowned up at me. “Is that really necessary?”

I inhaled, blowing the breath out slowly as I nodded. “Unfortunately. Don’t worry about them, though. They’ll clear the way for us and there’s a car outside.”

“Clear the way?” The furrow between her eyes deepened. “What does that mean?”

“Oh, uh.” Shit . “Well, it’s, uh, it’s the paparazzi. City Lights is kind of super popular around here. Nashville, California, and New York are where people are crazy for us, so things tend to get a little more out of hand when we’re in one of those places.”

As she arched an eyebrow at me, the terminal doors slid open in front of us and the insanity started. There was a whole pack of reporters and camerapeople clamoring on the sidewalk, trying to take my picture and yelling out questions as soon as they spotted Gemma.

“Who is this?” someone yelled above the general din. “Is she your new girl?”

“Noah! Over here,” another one piped up. “How long is this one going to last?”

The bodyguards tightened their circle around us, but their bodies could hardly drown out the noise. “What’s your name, honey? How long have you been together?”

“Noah! Is she pregnant?”

“Noah—” The bodyguards slammed the car’s door behind us as soon as we were inside, finally cutting us off from the absurdity that was life in the public eye.

Gemma’s eyes were huge as she slid across the backseat, turning to glance at me while buckling up. “Wow. That was unexpected.”

I grimaced. “I’m sorry. I should’ve warned you, but I usually just try to ignore them. I like to keep my life private and they know that. Guess it doesn’t stop them from trying, though.”

“I guess so,” she said, staring out at them through the window behind me. They’d congregated around the car, their cameras now aimed at it as our driver tried to inch through the crowd. “Is it always like that?”

“Nah. Not always. There’s really only those three places where we get mobbed. People are more chilled out about us everywhere else. Maybe it’s something in the water.”

“For now,” she murmured, ungluing her gaze from the reporters trying to get shots through the tinted windows to look back at me. “That must get really scary sometimes.”

“I think it can,” I said carefully, not wanting this to frighten her away. “We haven’t had any truly terrifying incidents yet, though. It’s mostly just like that, people trying to take our pictures and yelling out questions no one but Brandon ever really answers.”

“Where is he, anyway?” she asked curiously. “You were staying with him back in Austin, so why didn’t he fly with us?”

“He left on the first flight out this morning,” I explained. “Our team wanted to meet with him before our sound checks and stuff this afternoon.”

“Is everything okay?” she asked.

I took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “It’s all good. They just want to discuss some promo stuff with him. I had my turn back in New York after he’d already flown out to Austin.”

She nodded, a thoughtful gleam in her eyes as she twined her fingers around mine and finally relaxed into her seat. A short drive later, we arrived at the hotel where I always stayed and I silently thanked all the gods that we were taken straight to my suite from the underground parking garage.

It hadn’t been that long since I’d had my first experience with the paparazzi, and I knew how overwhelming it could be. The last thing Gemma needed right then was another encounter. Unlike me, she could actually get away from it all—by getting away from me.

When I finally shut our door behind us, I followed her to the windows overlooking the city and slid my arms around her from behind, slotting her against me and resting my chin on top of her head. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” she said after pausing for a beat. “I think I just need a minute to process.”

“Anything I can do to help?”

She shrugged. “Just hold me.”

“I can do that.” I tightened my grip on her, lifted her off her feet, and carried her to the bed. Surprised laughter bubbled out of her, but she didn’t fight me, giggling instead. I tossed her down on the mattress before I followed her onto it. “Come here, gorgeous.”

I hooked my arm around her waist, dragging her tiny body to mine until her front was flush against mine. Keeping that arm in place, I slid the other under her neck so her head was resting on it. Then I wrapped my leg around her thighs for good measure.

“Like that?”

“Just like that,” she murmured happily, those vibrant greens coming up to stare into my eyes. “Are you even a real person? Or am I imagining all this? Because right now, it kind of feels like a dream.”

“It’s not a dream.” I pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead. “I do get why you’d feel that way, though. I’ve pinched myself a few times since I met you.”

She giggled. “I suppose if it was a dream, you wouldn’t have to get to your sound checks or whatever it is you need to go do this afternoon.”

“Don’t worry. I’m free to cuddle all night. After the show, of course.”

“Of course.” She relaxed against me, melting into my arms.

I held her for as long as I could before snuggle time was over. “I hate that I have to do this, but I need to get going. The guys are probably at the event center already.”

“Can I come with you?” she asked.

I pulled my head back to look into her eyes once she opened them. “Do you want to?”

“Yes,” she said with zero hesitation.

“Then yes.” I grinned. “Of course, you can come.”

I loved that she wanted to. I wanted to be with her all the time and the prospect of separating from her so soon after we’d arrived was something I’d been dreading. If I didn’t have to leave her here, then I definitely wouldn’t.

After sealing my lips over hers for a kiss that almost got out of hand, I reluctantly rolled off the bed and helped her off after me. We left the suite together, neither of us letting go of the other as we made our way back to the elevator and descended to the parking garage.

As always, our car was already waiting and my bodyguards were there to follow us to the venue. Once we got there, we were driven to the backstage entrance and more security had been posted around the door to keep out any unwanted visitors.

Gemma took it all in as I led her inside. Her eyes widened and she glanced up at me. “I don’t think I understood before how removed you guys really are from the world. I mean, we got to Tennessee hours ago and we haven’t spoken to anyone except each other. There are guards everywhere keeping people away from you. You get whisked from one place to another without ever being on the street.”

“Is it too weird for you?” I asked, worried that she was going to leave me, twisting my heart in my chest.

She smiled and bumped her hip into mine. “No, it’s not too weird for me. It was just an observation. Jeez, lighten up.”

As I laughed, we walked around the last corner into the lounge where Brandon, Lewis, and Jack were kicking around a soccer ball, waiting to be called to the stage by the crew. Brandon grinned when we walked in.

“Gemma! You came. That’s awesome.” He jerked a thumb at his chest and smirked. “I’m Brandon. I’m sure you’ve heard a lot about me. I’m the popular one.” Kicking the ball away, he strode over and enveloped her in a huge bear-hug. “Noah won’t shut up about you. It’s great to finally meet you.”

She chuckled, awkwardly hugging him. Lewis and Jack strode over too. Lewis offered her a kind, welcoming smile and opened his arms. “I won’t accost you like he did, but I am offering a hug if you want one.”

“I’ll never say no to a hug from one of Noah’s brothers,” she said easily, shooting me a smile before she stepped into him and gave him a quick squeeze. “It’s nice to meet you all.”

Jack gave her a curious look, quiet as always, but not tensing up like he usually did when one of us brought a girl backstage with us. He even flashed her a small smile. “Brandon wasn’t lying, you know. Noah really hasn’t been able to shut up about you. He was coy about it at first, but once he started, he couldn’t stop.”

“Shut up, assholes,” I joked, reaching for Gemma’s hand and tugging her back to my side.

Where she belongs.

Gemma laughed and blushed, but she didn’t seem starstruck or uncomfortable around them at all, which was great. She even joined in their fun. Glancing at me, she arched a playful eyebrow and put the hand not in mine on her hip.

“What exactly have you been saying about me, Noah Parks? This is your last chance to tell me yourself, because you know they’re going to tell me everything you don’t.”

I laughed, bantering back and forth with all of them about things I supposedly had and had not said. As we sat down on the couches, I pulled her with me, settling her on my lap. I kicked my feet up and leaned back. She slid her arm around my shoulders and rested against my chest, her fingers toying with the hair at the nape of my neck.

It sent a shiver of desire through me, but there was more to it than that. As I watched her quickly making friends with the people I cared about, something was also clicking into place deep inside my chest. Gemma fit right in with my crew—and she’d done it without skipping a beat.

Fucking hell. She really is perfect. Now, how do I make sure she never leaves me?