Tempting Perfection

“I did. One.” His eyebrows drew together for a split second before they smoothed. “One day when I was five, this mutt showed up on our doorstep out of the blue. And he never left. I had Harley for almost fifteen years. Knoah used to watch him for me when Dylan and I went on the road with the band.”

“What happened?”

“Old age. But he was the best damn dog.”

I squeezed George a little tighter. “We could coparent George if you wanted.” Kurt’s eyes widened, and I stammered on, “I mean please don’t think I’m crossing the roommate line. Oh, hell…I’m messing this up. I was just saying, we’re roommates and I could share.” Then, though it was a total lie, I added, “I’ve moved on from that mess.”

For a second, silence lingered. Something seemed to bother him about what I’d said. Maybe I had crossed a line. I was about to tell him to ignore what I said when he asked, “Coparent?”

Trying to keep it light, I replied, “Yes, but I get final say. No pussy puppy.”

He laughed. “Deal. Dog coparenting it is.”

“Deal. George will need a man in his life to show him the ropes.”

“He’s a dog, Sawyer.”

I shrugged. “Maybe, but…I don’t know…I love him.”

The topic had grown heavy again.

“Who made your pajamas today?”

Glancing down at my shirt and pants, I said, “It’s Lululemon. They’re so comfortable.”

“Lululemon knows how to make pajamas.”

I chuckled. “You’re such a smartass. It’s not nice to be prejudiced.”

All this bantering on the couch was making me tired, and my eyes grew heavy.

Kurt stood, and the motion made me open my eyes.

“Oh, Cameron and Jordan texted you last night. Their names flashed across your screen when I plugged in your phone.”

There was a new edge in the air. The way Kurt said Jordan’s name sent a thrill through me. It sounded a tad jealous. I played it off. “Would you text Cameron and tell him I’m doing better?”

“Sure thing, baby.”

I started at the term of endearment but closed my eyes to keep from exposing what it did to me. While we had been in LA, that was what he’d called me when he made love to me.

Did something change? I was aching to know, but I wouldn’t push. Kurt needed to come to this on his own. If a little time was what he needed, I would give it to him. At the end of this tour, if nothing happened, I would officially move on.

Until then, I hoped he realized we had a connection.

Chapter Thirteen

Sawyer

Two weeks after the epic food poisoning, the thought and smell of pork still turned my stomach. Other than that, I was back to normal and full steam ahead. Life on the bus was exhausting, and I slept more soundly than I could ever remember. I was catching up on all the sleepless nights in the apartment—and then some.

The excitement of the audience buzzed in the air. I loved concert nights—soaking up the energy and hearing Kurt’s sultry voice. We were in Flagstaff, Arizona, at our largest venue yet. The entire tour was sold out and the demand to add more concert stops increased every day. Fans loved watching the part of the show when the band shared pictures from when we stopped at various crazy landmarks and life on the road.

As Kurt sang his heart out, I laughed at the glimmer of a rhinestone sparkling on his back pocket. Man, they only accentuated his ass. Damn it. Even the girls seemed to love the addition to his jacket. As he turned back my way, our eyes met, and I got a warm smile.

Stupid pitter-patter of my heart.

Over the last two weeks, we’d become more comfortable with each other, it seemed. Kurt and I had turned into homebodies. Nothing had changed, per se, but it felt like we were on the cusp of something. I thought back to the night before when I’d gotten on the bus after going through the latest media statistics.