“What were you doing anyway?” she demands. When I open my mouth to respond, she holds up a hand, and I pause. “Never mind, you don’t need to tell me. It’s not like this is that kind of marriage anyway.”

The acid in her tone puts my back up. I know she’s pissed and emotional, but her taking swipes at what we’re starting to build here pisses me off.

“And exactly what kind of marriage is this, Holly?” The question is a loaded one.

“We both know it’s not going to last. I’m a passing fancy for you. And in case you’re wondering, I’m not bleaching my asshole to keep you on the hook.”

Her offbeat and slightly twisted sense of humor does the impossible; my pissed-off mood evaporates. I rise from the chair and move toward her, my predatory instincts taking over.

Pinning her to the fridge, I growl, “Not even if I ask nicely and promise to fuck that tight little asshole until you’ve come so many times your pleasure receptors are blown?”

She lifts her gaze to mine and mumbles, “I knew I shouldn’t have said that.”

I smooth the hair away from her face and lower my lips to her ear. “Don’t ever be afraid to say anything to me.”

When Holly doesn’t reply, I pull away and stare down at her. “Holly. Look at me.” I wait until she complies. “If you really believe what you said about this not lasting, then we have a serious problem.”

Her teeth scrape her bottom lip, and she hesitates before asking, “Why?”

I infuse my words with steel, because I want there to be no confusion about the gravity of what I’m saying. “Because there’s no way in hell I’m letting you go.”

Her big brown eyes blink twice, and her mouth falls open. The spitfire who faded away for brief moments flares to life again.

“Who the hell are you, and what have you done with my I’ll be waiting in a hotel suite with a prenup and an engagement ring husband?”

I cup her face with both hands, needing the contact. “Things change, Holly. And everything has changed for me because of you. If you haven’t figured that out yet, then I’ll just have to show you.”

“I don’t get you,” she whispers.

I lower my forehead to hers and breathe her in. “That’s where you’re wrong. You’ve already got me.”

She turns her head, breaking our contact. I drop my hands to my sides, and a shred of doubt filters into me, bringing a completely foreign feeling with it—uncertainty.

I consider crushing my lips to hers until her thoughts are filled with nothing and no one but me, but I also understand the value of backing off and letting her settle so I can return to claim victory another day. With the news of her mom’s arrest and upcoming arrival, not to mention the unrelenting tour schedule, I suspect Holly is teetering on the edge of her breaking point right now, and the last thing I want to do is push her over.

This isn’t about me. This is about her.

Deciding to change gears, I step away and nod toward the bus door.

“Want to meet your new security detail?” I ask.

“Security detail?”

“That’s where I was. Doing personal interviews and reviewing background checks. I needed to make sure that I felt comfortable with them before I could bring them around you. If you have any issues with either of the guys, let me know, and we can replace them. But having said that, I think they’re both solid choices.” I meet her eyes. “I’m willing to trust them with your safety, and believe me when I say that isn’t something I do lightly. At all.”

Her posture relaxes for a fraction of a second, but tenses once more when she asks, “You think they can keep Mama away from me too?”

“Don’t worry about her. I’ll handle that myself.”

The energy from tonight’s show is exactly what I need to shore up my inner reserves. The crowd was amazing, singing along and screaming. Maybe it’s a sign that I’m a vain person, but there’s really nothing like thousands of people chanting your name.

You’d think a girl from Gold Haven, Kentucky, who started off singing karaoke with the smell of fryer grease clinging to her hair and clothes wouldn’t feel perfectly comfortable on a stage in front of ten thousand people, but I do. It’s where I belong. Every time I get up there, it’s with the absolute certainty that this is what I was born to do.

But just thinking about the past reminds me that Mama is coming to visit, and regardless of what Creighton says about taking care of her, she’s going to find a way to dig her hooks into me. I just don’t have thick enough armor when it comes to her. I want to call her back and tell her “hell no, I changed my mind,” but I don’t have any way to get in touch with her.

As I’m falling asleep on the bus, curled into Creighton’s arms¸ the haze of orgasm steals my filter, and I tell him, “I wish I could turn back the clock and tell my mama to go somewhere else, anywhere else. I don’t want her here. I don’t want her messing with my life again. It never ends well.”

Creighton squeezes me against his chest and presses a kiss to my hair. “Go to sleep. You’ve got another long day tomorrow in Biloxi.”

The vibrations from the road and Creighton’s steady, even breathing lull me into a dreamless sleep.

The next afternoon, I pull out my phone and check the time for the twentieth time in the last five minutes. Not because I’m worried I’m going to miss the Biloxi meet and greet, but because I keep expecting Mama to come barreling backstage and wreaking havoc like a raccoon sneaking into a house through a chimney.

Creighton shoots me a questioning look. “What are you doing? You’re not going to be late, so calm the hell down.”

I suck in a breath and release it slowly, trying to calm my nerves. “It’s not that. It’s Mama. I was hoping I’d get that out of the way early so I could get myself together for the show. I hate this feeling of being on edge.”

Creighton’s expression goes blank. “Shit. I forgot to tell you. She’s taken care of.”

I swear, everything in me slams to a halt—my lungs, my heart, the very blood in my veins. “What? What are you talking about?”

“I arranged for her to take a vacation. All expenses paid to Miami. I own a large portion of a resort there, and I figured it would give you the break you need. It was easy enough to get her to agree.”