Everything But (5 page)

He
squinted
his left eye, throwing the cocky façade
back up
, his
defense when his confidence wan
ed. 
“You sure?”

Her cheeks turned a slight shade of pink, so slight he almost missed it.  But she rattled off her address and phone number when he whipped out his cell phone.  What more could he have asked for?  Well, he would’ve liked a kiss on the cheek or a hug, but he supposed that was asking a little too much this early on.  After all, she wasn’t one of his screaming, adoring fans…and maybe that was a good thing.  So he said goodbye, holding her eye’s attention for a few seconds, and then braced himself for the throng of girls he knew were standing just outside the door.  He grabbed the sunglasses from their resting place and slid them on his face, prepared to play rock star again.

* * *

Holy shit
.
  That was all Erin could think as she watched Riley Schultz walk away from her out into the lobby area outside the gym. 
She’d been holding her hands together in front of her the whole time so they would stop shaking.  Yeah, she’d thought he was a good-looking guy
but there was no chance anything would come of it.

Hell, she couldn’t
let
anything come of it.  She’d been in far too many damaging relationships over the last three
years, and she knew a rock star
—especially a cocksure guy like Riley Schultz—w
ould probably make those heartaches a walk in the park.

But.
  How many women would be able to talk about going on a real date with a rock star?  No one she knew, at any rate.  For years from now, she was
sure,
kids would want to take her classes so they could meet the teacher who’d won money for the school by dating a heavy metal
frontman
.

No, now she knew she was just playing around in fantasyland.  She managed to make it through the impromptu meeting afterward
with Ron and the football coach
, where they discussed last-minute details about the dinner.  Gill gave Erin the final total—
well
over two-thousand earned.  She was glad because she’d forgotten that
they still had to pay for the actual food.  Even though a local restaurant gave them a discount because it was
for
a good cause, the
squad
still had to pay for actual cost.  And it was also tradition that a group of football players were the waiters, and for that gesture, the cheerleading squad had always given the football team a chunk of their earnings.  She thought Ron had said they usually gave the team ten percent, but her brain was not fully functioning.
  She’d have to deal with the money stuff on Monday
, when she could actually talk with the principal
.  For now, though, she felt overloaded and just wanted a warm bubble bath…and time to plan what the hell she should wear tomorrow night.

Ron told her he
woul
d shut off the lights and the football coach promised they’d be ready for everyone by seven
the following night
.  Erin had never been to one of these auction dinners, so she had no idea what to expect.  She only knew they wouldn’t be serving wine…and that was a damn shame.

So she started walking out of the gym. 
Oh, shit
.  Riley was
still
there, three or four girls around him.  He was over to the side so she could
maybe
pretend she didn’t see him.  That might seem bitchy, but she didn’t trust herself to not become like those teenage girls were…salivating,
giggling airheads.  So what the hell should she do?  She also didn’t want to seem pathetic by
forcing
his attention away from his little fan club either.

So, pathetic or not, she fished her cell phone from out of her purse and decided to check for messages as she walked out.  She wouldn’t actually text anyone unless she did have a message, but she thought it might be enough to get her through the lobby and out the doors without the dilemma of
do-I-or-don’t-I make eye contact?

She was halfway through the lobby and fully done checking her zero messages when she heard Riley tell the girls, “Nice chatting with you, but if you’ll excuse me…”  And that’s when Erin knew he was heading her way.

That made her nervous all over again.
  But at least her ploy had kept the moment from being awkward.
  She felt his presence beside her and she looked up, throwing the phone back in her purse. 
“Long time, no see.”

“Can I walk you to your car?”

She couldn’t help the smile that crossed her face. 
“If you really want to.”

Riley dropped his voice as he pushed the door open for her.  “Yeah, I do, but I also need an excuse to get away, if you catch my drift.”

She nodded.  Well,
that
didn’t do much for her ego, but she couldn’t fault him for honesty.  “So…do you ever get used to that?”

“What? 
The girls?”

“Well, yeah, but also the attention.”

“Yes and no.”  She
started walking down the stairs in front of the school and he followed suit.  “I mean…at first, it was cool. 
Crowds of people surrounding us, and, yeah, mostly girls.
  And I got more of the attention than the other guys, because I was the face
for
the band, if you know what I mean.
  But after a while, you realize you have no privacy anymore, and people don’t respect
your need for it
.  They figure you’
re famous;
you deserve the attention you get. 
And sometimes I’m cool with that.  It comes with the territory.  But a lot of
times it’s unwanted. 
Sorry, but if I’m buying my niece an ice cream cone, I don’t want someone with a camera snapping pictures of it, and I sure as hell don’t want a bunch of girls screaming and pawing at me when I need to keep my eye on a four-year-old
child who’s trusting me to take care of her.”

Erin nodded.  “Understandable.”

They continued walking across the parking lot.  It was dark out, but there were plenty of lights in the parking lot to guide their way.  It was a little cool out but not too chilly, and Erin knew hot days were just around the corner.  This time of year it was pleasant, reminding her of one of the reasons she’d wanted to remain in Colorado.  Cool, crisp air in the spring and fall, surrounded by the extreme weather that made her appreciate the in-between seasons even more.
 
“But, hell.
  You didn’t want to hear me whine about how my life sucks.”

Erin laughed.  “I asked.”

Riley’s head moved up and down slowly.  “True.  You did. 
But what about you, Ms. Erin Lancaster?
  What’s your life like?”

She shook her head, glancing his way but afraid to get sucked in by those piercing brown eyes.  She looked back in front of her.  She saw her tame car just across the way, because there weren’t many cars left in the lot.  Her car was a small white sedan, very
teacherly
, and the only reason she’d ever bought it was because it was conservative.  She needed a reliable car and she didn’t need to blow money on something just because
it was pretty or sporty, even if she wanted to deep down.  “Oh, probably pretty much what you think it is.  I teach a bunch of high school kids throughout the year and usually find a part-time job during the summers to keep myself
busy.  I also do a little academic writing during
my breaks
, writing literary analysis for journals…just for the fun of it.  But…uh…I
do a little camping and
go to concerts
during the summer, and—”

“I thought so.”

“Thought what?”

“You acted like you recognized me.”  They reached her car and stood beside it.

“You could
tell
?”  She felt her face grow warm.

“Well…it was a guess. 
A good one, apparently.”
  She felt her lips twitch into a smile but she was afraid to say much more.  Riley cleared his throat and she allowed herself to drown in his gaze.  Oh, shit. 
That was dangerous, because now
being the only thing in his eyesight made her feel captive.  Her heartbeat kicked up a notch and she felt her mouth start to water. And the seconds dragged on and she started to feel more nervous.  Part of her just wanted to kiss him, famous rock star or not.  She’d seen his picture a thousand times, but
it
couldn’t do just
ice
to the real Riley Schultz.  He was magnetic and…
hot
.  She felt her extremities begin to tingle as her brain tried to figure out something to say.  She found that her back was almost pressed up against her car door and she saw him lean slightly forward.  His eyes had taken on a dreamy
, sleepy
look and she thought he really
was
going to take her in a passionate embrace.  She knew then that she wouldn’t have protested.  But he said, his voice low, “So what am I supposed to wear to this thing tomorrow night?”

She swallowed, regaining her composure.  “You know, I’m really not sure.  I’ve never done this before.  I’m just filling in for the real cheerleading coach, and so I’ve never been to one of these.”  She took a deep breath.  “If I had to guess, it’d be like a real date.”

He nodded and he looked pure rock star again, cocky and oh-so-self-sure.  “So
…
like
this
?”  He waved his hand in a semi-circular motion, indicating himself from head to toe.

Erin took the invitation and looked him over from top to bottom…not that she hadn’t done that already, but how could she resist?  And where the hell had this boldness
come
from?  But she did it just the same…t
ook in his reddish-brown mussed-
up hair and…
fuck
…he had a few cute little freckles on his cheeks that she’d never noticed from media pictures or CD covers. 
And his facial hair was gone, all but the
sexy
soul patch just underneath his lip
that she’d love to feel brushing her chin
. 
He had a noticeable Adam’s apple that was right about eye level and, sure enough, he was wearing his dog tags.  She’d have to get a closer look at those tomorrow if he’d let her.  She made a note to herself that it could be a conversation piece when they had a lull.  He was wearing a plain black t-shirt but up close she could see the definition underneath…not that it mattered.  She knew
exactly
what his torso looked like, having seen pictures of him shirtless at concerts, sweaty and…  She gulped.  She was getting distracted again.  She for
ced her eyes to continue down fa
rther.  Faded Levi’
s, n
ot too snug but not baggy
. 
Black sneakers.
  She couldn’t tell if they were Converse or something else, but she knew she’d better drag her eyes back up pretty quickly.

When she met his eyes again, his lips spread into a grin. 
Shit
.  He knew what she was thinking.  He
had
to.  But maybe she could play it off.  “Well, uh…where
you
come from, that might be acceptable date attire, and, I suppose, the teens wouldn’t mind, but I’d guess you might want to be a
little
more conservative. 
Maybe a button-down shirt at least?”

He nodded. 
“Got it.”
  He moved his head forward a little again, and she felt her breat
h catch in her throat.  She bega
n to doubt she’d ever be able to breathe normally again.  But he stopped, his lips close enough, his breath warm on her cheek, his arm braced on her car, and said, “What are
you
planning to wear on our date, Ms. Erin?”

She swallowed
again,
well aware of the powerful effect he was having on her.  She didn’t know if it was just part of his personality or if it was because he was the big, bad rock star.  It didn’t m
atter really.  He was having that
effect and analyzing
why
wouldn’t change it.  “Uh…I’m not sure yet.  Like I said, this was kind of a last-minute thing for me.”

“A dress?”

“Well, yeah, I
have
to wear a dress.”

His lips turned up into a half-grin.  “You don’t
have
to, Erin.  That’s a societal expectation, and you forget…my job’s all about rebelling against expectations.  You
wanna
wear a bikini tomorrow night, I wouldn’t object.”

She wasn’t quite sure how to take his statement, but she was pretty sure he was fucking with her, just like he had all the young women onstage tonight.  Maybe he thought he was so clever, she’d never notice.  Needless to say, the smoldering feelings she’d had just moments earlier iced up.  “I’m sure you wouldn’t, Mr. Schultz, but I can assure you I’ll wear something date appropriate.”