Taking a Chance (21 page)

“Mom, I’m going to say goodbye to a few more people, and then we can be on our way. We need to pick up some food on the way home because I’m starving.”

Maddie just wanted to quickly get through the rest of the goodbyes and then get home to her condo safe and sound. Although she didn’t want to say anything to her mother, Maddie was glad that she was coming home with her. George lurking in the city was starting to put her on edge more than she wanted to admit. His behavior was concerning her, and she was now even more thankful that she had decided to go to California.

M
addie sat restlessly in her front-row seat, waiting for the rest of the passengers to finish loading. She could not wait to arrive and run to the exit gate. She half-wished she had worn her running shoes, so she could move through the airport faster.

She was wearing skinny jeans with knee-high boots in a rich chestnut color. She had on a simple white shirt with a fitted navy blazer-style jacket. Her hair was down in loose curls. She was wearing her pink clover necklace that matched her pink diamond studs from Austin.

She had no idea how she was going to sit still for the next two and a half hours. She didn’t want to call Austin yet; it was still early and he’d had a show last night. She wanted him to sleep in, so he would not be tired during his show. She pulled out her iPod. It still made her laugh when she saw her boyfriend’s name on the list of bands.

She put her earbuds in and picked
Austin Hunter—All Albums
. Listening to his voice she leaned her head into the seat and closed her eyes. His music was something she could listen to all day every day. Her BlackBerry buzzed and she pulled it out of her jacket pocket.

Maddie was surprised he was awake. The text made her smile.

Now that she had heard from him, she could make it through her flight. She leaned back into her seat again as they taxied away from the gate. The woman next to her was engrossed in the book she was reading, which suited Maddie. Not in the mood to chat about the weather, politics, the education system, or any other chit chat that morning she just wanted to get to Austin.

Once they were in the air, the flight attendant came around to find out what they wanted for their meal and if they wanted a cocktail.
A cocktail?
It was eight in the morning. Maddie had eaten a bagel at the airport and already downed a cup of coffee, so she put her earbuds back in to listen to Austin for the rest of the flight.

Maddie opened her eyes as the plane landed. She had managed to sleep for about an hour of the flight. Knowing Austin would text right back, she quick sent a text to her mom to let her know she had arrived safely. Then she sent one to Austin.

Maddie laughed. He must have been staring at his phone waiting for a message.

It felt like it took forever to taxi to the gate. Finally, they arrived and she could hear everyone’s seat belts clicking off. As soon as her seatmate got up, Maddie stood up to grab her carry-on suitcase. She struggled for a moment to get her roller bag out. Even though she had seen Austin less than two weeks ago her hands were shaking from the excitement of seeing him again.

As she neared the exit gate, she saw him before he saw her. His head was down and he was either texting or sending an email on his iPhone. Maddie darted behind a tall man passing by to try and surprise Austin.
God, he’s gorgeous.
He was casually leaning against the wall with one foot crossed over the other. His jeans were worn in and he was wearing cowboy boots. Somehow that made him even sexier and she did not know how that was possible. He had on the same aviator sunglasses, and even from there she could tell he had the shadow of a beard. Ah, she wanted to rub that stubble all over…
Maddie, get a grip. You’re at a very public airport.

She snuck through the gate past the spot he was standing and then did a U-turn knowing he would not be expecting her from the other direction. She pulled her luggage up short, but he either sensed her or smelled her perfume because he instantly knew she was standing behind him. He tucked his iPhone in his jeans pocket and took three long strides toward her. She jumped into his arms, almost knocking him over. He laughed as she hit his body. The feel of his arms wrapped around her and the muscles pulsing in his back made her melt. That was exactly where she wanted to be.

He set her down on her feet and looked her up and down. Before she knew it, he had both hands on her face and his mouth on hers. His kiss was hot, pressed hard against her lips. The moment his lips touched hers, the electric current ran through her entire body. He lifted his head and leaned his head against hers so his mouth was by her ear.

“I’ve missed you,” he whispered.

“I know, but you did see me less than two weeks ago.”

“True, but that’s too long.” He had his face buried in her hair. “Maddie,” he said her name so softly it was barely audible.

“Hey, you shouldn’t be talking a lot today. You have another show tonight.”

Austin pulled his head back. “I can’t believe you know that.”

Maddie shrugged her shoulders. “Of course, I do. You need to rest your voice as much as you can today.”

“I’m not even going to use her name, but someone from my not so distant past never believed me. She thought I used it as an excuse to not talk to her and picked a fight almost every night.” He sighed. “By the end, I probably did use it as an excuse.”

He leaned down and kissed her again. He brushed her lips softly at first, but when she tightened her arms around him he pressed his lips harder on hers. He finally stepped back.

“Maddie, shall we…” He stopped as she put her hand up.

“Uh-uh.” She held up her BlackBerry in a tantalizing way. “Text me. Unless it’s important.”

“But—”

She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow challenging him to fight her on the issue. When he did not go on, her lips curled up into a victorious smile.

Austin grabbed her suitcase and took her hand with his free hand. He pulled on her hand so she was right beside him and then let go and hooked his arm around her waist. He leaned down and kissed her hair. When she looked up at him, she could barely make out the wink behind his sunglasses.

She put her arm around him and leaned in. As they made their way through the airport a few people turned their direction, and a couple of them started to approach but they were moving at a fast pace. No one caught up to them before they exited the building. As they stepped outside, Austin nodded his head in the direction of a black SUV. Maddie heard the click of a camera, and she snapped her head that direction. Immediately, multiple cameras started clicking and flashing. There was a group of photographers only a few feet from them.

Austin mumbled under his breath. “Dammit.” He looked at Maddie, and she knew her eyes were wide. “Sorry, Maddie. It’s going to be hard to stay out of the news. It will take them a little time to figure out who you are.”

The photographers started yelling out questions.

“Austin, who is your new girlfriend?”

“How long have you two been dating?”

“Can we get a name?”

Austin turned to the group. “Come on guys, give me a break here.” He smiled. “Don’t scare the girl away.” They all laughed. He was trying to make light of the situation, but Maddie was still concerned. Austin pushed their pace and Maddie dipped her head to hide the fear she was sure was showing in her eyes. As they approached the SUV, the man standing beside it reached for her suitcase.

“Hi, I’m Maddie.” She smiled, but his mouth didn’t so much as twitch.

“Charlie,” he muttered. He took her suitcase from Austin and lifted it into the back of the SUV.

Apparently Austin’s manager was not a fan of hers. Austin furrowed his brow and started to open his mouth but remained silent. He opened the back door for Maddie. After she climbed in, he made his way around to the other side. Charlie was about to open the door to get in the driver’s seat.

“What’s the problem, Charlie?”

“Nothing. Get in.”

Clearly annoyed with Charlie, Austin brusquely got in the car.

“You can take the car back to the hotel. Maddie and I will tour the city on foot,” Austin snapped.

“It’s no problem, Austin. I’ll take you wherever you want to go.” His voice had softened a bit.

“Just do it.” Austin was firm as he dragged his hand through his hair.

“At least take Brad with you.”

Now it sounded like Charlie was pleading.

“No.”

Charlie murmured something but said nothing more.

When Austin turned toward Maddie, his face softened. He reached over, placed his hand on her knee and gave it a gentle squeeze. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his iPhone. He smiled at her and then went to typing out a text.

She grabbed her BlackBerry out of her pocket as soon as it buzzed.

Maddie laughed and looked at Austin innocently.

Her breath caught when she read it. Her entire body ached for him. The thought of Austin’s touch anywhere on her made her stomach tighten. She liked the game. It was much easier for her to be bold in text messages.

She giggled when she sent the message. She watched him read it and within two seconds, he had his seatbelt off and mouth on hers. His left hand was on her leg and it felt like fire. She was glad she was sitting down because her entire body had turned to jelly.

“Is that better Maddie?” he whispered in her ear.

“Uh-huh,” she nodded and smiled shyly. She dipped her eyes but then dared to look back up through her eyelashes. A warm flush spread across her face. Even though he still had his sunglasses on, she could feel his desire in the look that bore into her.

“Oh, no.” He scolded her. “If you’re going to be bold in your texts, you better bravely accept the consequences.” He gave her another quick kiss and then stretched out across the backseat and laid his head back onto her lap.

Maddie glanced down at him resting his head on her legs. She still had so much to learn about him. All she wanted to do was reach down and run her hands through his hair, but she had no idea if it would bother him or if he would like it. Some guys would care, that she knew for a fact.

She blushed, even though he was not looking at her.
What is it about the texting? It’s hot.

She laughed aloud when she read the second one. She lowered her hand and slowly ran her index finger along his hairline. She continued to trace along the side of his face following his jawline. She could feel him take in a deep breath and clench the muscles in his jaw. He reached up and pulled her hand to kiss the fingertip. He held her hand to his mouth and kissed the palm before setting it back on his cheek. He pulled his sunglasses off and set them on his stomach.

He opened his eyes to look at her. Desire radiated off him and she could see the need in his eyes. It was as if his look was caressing her skin and her insides started quaking at the thought. She smiled shyly at him. She brushed her thumb along his cheek and then over his mouth. He sighed and closed his eyes again.

T
hey sat that way in silence the rest of the way. Charlie pulled up to the back of the hotel and as soon as the car stopped, Austin sat up. He gave Maddie a quick kiss before putting on his sunglasses and getting out of the car. She opened her door and stepped out. She needed to test the stability of her legs before he came around the car. She could not believe the effect that man had on her.

“Please put her suitcase in her room,” Austin said curtly to Charlie.

“Austin, I’m sorry about earlier. I just want you to be cautious around her, that’s all. I mean, how much do you even know about her? You always give people the benefit of the doubt and they take advantage of you,” Charlie said.

“Don’t talk about her that way, Charlie. She’s different.”

“But, you don’t know for sure. I mean, I appreciate that she respects the fact you shouldn’t talk a lot during the day, but she could plaster those text messages across the Internet.”

“I’m warning you, Charlie. Not another word about her.”

Maddie stayed on the side of the car and could see the interaction between them was tense. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, but hoped she wasn’t the reason for their tension. She didn’t want Austin doing anything he should not be doing today. She hoped he wasn’t going against the wishes of the band by spending the day with her.

“Sound check is at six,” Charlie said.

“Got it.”

“Do you want the car?”