I SLEPT MOST OF THE way to Paris on the train. A late night of rehearsals and an early morning start weren’t my idea of fun. But soon we’d get to the hotel, and I’d see Crow again. This would be the start of our life as an official couple. Maybe we needed to buy matching rings or something to celebrate that. I liked that idea.

Polly nudged me awake when we hit the outskirts of the city.

“You’ll be nice when Crow talks to you, won’t you?” I asked her. “Don’t mess with him.”

She just smiled. It was pretty much a given that she’d approve of our relationship now, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t toy with him. Polly liked to do that sometimes, but I wasn’t sure if Crow would stand up to her teasing.

“It seems very formal,” she said. “Like he’s asking for your hand.”

“He wants things all above board and out in the open, that’s all.”

I stared out the window. So far, there was nothing especially Parisian about the city. I guessed cities were all the same on the outskirts.

“He doesn’t want to look like a creeper, especially considering how young Fay is,” Jax said.

He didn’t need to remind Polly of things like that. I was plenty old enough to date Crow. The way these guys acted, you’d think I was still underage.

I kicked Jax. He tried to dodge, but I got his ankle hard enough to make him grimace.

“More like, he doesn’t want to cause trouble on the tour,” I said. “You know what Damo’s like.”

Then, to emotionally kick Jax on top of the actual kick, I added, “Wow, everyone’s going to be paired on this tour. Damo and Polly, Elijah and Rose, Matt and Fiona, and... oh, wait, then there’s you, Jax. All alone.”

He looked like he wanted to kick me back. I tucked my feet under the seat just to be on the safe side.

“I’m fine,” he said. “I can take care of myself.”

I chuckled. “Yeah, you can.” And I did a jerking-off hand gesture. “That’s Jax ‘taking care of himself’. But there’s Fartstard. He’s single. Go for it, Jax. You’d make an awesome couple. Except for his conniving, double-crossing ways.”

Jax screwed up his face. I didn’t blame him. I still had to make that bastard pay for ratting me out to Polly. Even if everything worked out fine in the end, he’d betrayed my trust.

“Good thing he did,” Polly said.

I shrugged that off. I didn’t want to open that discussion again, not with things starting to work out.

I stared out the window as the train got closer.

“Paris. It’s the city of love,” I said.

“It’s the city of working our asses off onstage,” Polly said. “But it’ll be nice to get a chance to look around a bit.”

“And eat French food,” Jax added.

“The only French food Polly will eat is French fries, I bet,” I said with a grin.

“I have an Eiffel Tower view from my room,” Polly said. “I’ll be able to see it from my bed.”

“Me too?” I asked. That would be the greatest. I’d be able to take the most jealousy-inspiring selfies for my Instagram.

Polly gave me a fake pout. “Oh, sorry, no. We have the luxury suite.”

Polly always got the luxury suite. Mainly because of Damo.

It didn’t take long until we had to gather our things to get off the train. Fartstard met us at the station to take us to the hotel.

“We can’t be too careful after that incident at the festival,” he said.

I hoped Polly wouldn’t notice what he’d said, but she turned to him. “What incident?”

Fartstard nodded at me. How did he even know about that? Only Crow and Elijah knew, and neither of them would talk. Sure they wouldn’t.

“I heard from the festival organizer that this little Firecracker got in some trouble.”

I wanted to punch him for saying that. He made it sound like my fault. I hadn’t gotten into trouble. Trouble had found me.

“It was nothing,” I said. “Some creep came on a bit strong, but I got away from him, and then Crow and Elijah sorted him out.”

“Fay...” Polly stopped walking and looked at me.

“Seriously, Polly, it was no biggie. It could happen anywhere. If I’d stayed at home, even. Guys like that are everywhere.”

Hell, the last thing I wanted was her getting some idea that hanging out with Crow was a bad idea. I balled up my hands into fists, wanting to slam one of those fists right into Fartstard’s pudgy pudding face. He could’ve kept his mouth shut, but nope, he had to blurt it all out.

“I don’t like this,” Polly said. “I don’t like it one bit.”

“Well, you can’t change the world,” I told her. “If you’d been there with me, if we’d been playing the festival or whatever, it would’ve been the same. It wasn’t like I encouraged the bastard at all.”

I hadn’t been to blame, and now it might ruin everything. Damn Fartstard. I would totally get him for this. Maybe itching powder in his jocks, except then I’d have to go near them, and ick, no.

We arrived at the hotel. It sure was a fancy place, like a palace. The lobby took my breath away. We’d stayed in some fancy hotels, but his was so much lusher than any of them. It had those fancy French chairs and all kinds of chic Parisian touches.

I bet it had an awesome breakfast buffet, too.

I went up to my room, and wow, it was perfect, even if I didn’t have an Eiffel Tower view. It had a sweet little balcony overlooking the street, with a nice cushy chair next to it. I opened the doors and stepped outside, hoping to see someone in a striped top carrying a baguette under their arm. Maybe with a beret on their head.

The bed looked like it’d be a dream to sleep in, too.

I’d just finished looking around when Polly called me. “Do you want to be here for this?” she asked.

“The talk with Crow? Hell yeah. Are we meeting in your room because you have the view?”

“Of course. Damo will be here too.”

God, this was like introducing the new man to my parents. The whole thing was totally cringeworthy. Polly could’ve just said it was all fine with her, but I she took secret delight in doing this to me.

I touched up my makeup before heading to Polly’s room. I wanted to look pretty for Crow. I ran my fingers through my hair, giving it a bit more body, too. Then I headed down the hallway to Polly’s room.

Crow was just getting out of the elevator.  I walked toward him, but something stopped me. I’d never been shy before in my life, ever. It was an unknown emotion for me, but when I saw him suddenly like that, a tremor ran through my body. He was a fine-looking man, and he was mine. But was he mine enough to make a hug in the hotel hallway appropriate?

Instead, I grinned, then averted my eyes.

Yikes. My face heated. I had to be going bright red. What was happening to me? This wasn’t me.

In the short distance to Polly’s room, we never exchanged a word. But as we waited for Polly to open the door, he reached out and wrapped his hand around mine. The warmth from his hand spread through my body. With my hand in his, nothing could go wrong. I smiled up at him.

I walked in and went straight to the window, dragging Crow with me.

“Amazing. It’s like something from a movie. I’m so taking photos in your room for my Instagram,” I said. “The public need to see me here. It’s so Paris.”

Damo laughed. “Sure. Do you want us to get one of the lighting guys in for your photo shoot?”

“Damo! Don’t encourage her. It’s our room,” Polly said. “She’ll do it.”

“Hey,” I said. “It’s not about me. It’s about my Instagram followers.”

Crow and I sat down on the sofa. I crossed my legs.

“So, we’re gathered here today,” I said. “Gathered to do what? Give a stamp of approval to Crow dating Fay? So, get out the stamp and stamp me up.”

Polly sat in the chair beside me. “Not so fast. We need to have some rules around this relationship.”

I studied my nails. If she said no sex, I’d die. I didn’t want my sex life up for discussion. Surely, she wouldn’t say that.

“Okay, hit me,” I said.

“Firstly, nothing is going to interfere with the tour,” she said. “Music first and the love stuff second.”

Crow nodded.

That seemed reasonable, on the surface. But it could be a trap.

“Wait. I need more details. I’m not agreeing unless I know what I’m in for. This rehearsing 18 hours a day is not on. I need a life too.”

Polly looked at Damo, and he nodded. They’d discussed this beforehand. That made my neck prickle, the thought of Damo and Polly sitting around discussing me like that.

“You get to have a life. Just not too much of a life,” she said. “We’re on tour. This is work.”

“We have a rest day today,” he said. “Make the most of it.”

“You get a few hours before sound check every day, too,” Polly added. “Maybe more if you get up early.”

“And after shows,” I said.

“Not too late,” Polly said. She leaned forward, staring at my face. “You don’t want to get bags under your eyes.”

“Screw you, Polly. I can use concealer.”

Crow sat back with his arms folded and his mouth twitching. Did this amuse him? This wasn’t funny. The more Polly talked, the more I wanted to die.