Kiss Me, Katie by Monica Tillery

Katie.
    “Good morning, beautiful,” Blake murmured as he ran the back of his hand gently down Katie’s cheek. He kissed her forehead and asked, “How did you sleep?”
    “Great. I can’t remember the last time I slept so well.”
    “Me too,” he said softly. “I think it’s meant to be.”
    Katie giggled and pushed Blake’s shoulder playfully. “I could get used to this, Mr. Jackson. Your bed is a lot nicer than my bunk. Your bus is a lot quieter than mine, too.”
    “Maybe you should just stay with me until you go home then,” Blake said, suddenly serious.
    Katie was stunned momentarily, not sure how to respond. On one hand, spending her days and nights with Blake sounded like a dream come true. She imagined ending each day on the tour snuggled up in his bed, cocooned together under the blankets, whispering together, and her heart squeezed with emotion. It would be so easy to trade in her tiny bunk on Sterling’s tour bus for a spot next to the man of her dreams, blissfully passing the hours on the road in his arms instead of cramped in her little bed, pulling the curtain closed for any little scrap of privacy. Spending every night together might make it harder for her to keep her promise to herself, though. Katie couldn’t imagine lying next to Blake night after night, always remaining abstinent. Would it really be so bad if she did give in to her feelings for Blake? Or would it make it even harder to say goodbye when they went their separate ways?
    Katie looked into Blake’s dreamy blue eyes and melted against his warm, solid chest as he pulled her close and kissed her deeply. How could she ever say goodbye to him? A part of her realized that it was too soon to have feelings this strong for a man, it had to be. The constant togetherness and bubble of intimacy the tour provided intensified everything. Katie had already become accustomed to an ‘us-against-the-world’ mentality, finding herself feeling proprietary over Blake, like the only one who truly knew him.
    “I’d love to spend every night with you, but I’ll have to think — ” Katie was cut off by loud rapping on the bus’s door.
    Blake groaned and pulled himself out of bed. He slid on a pair of shorts over his boxers and pulled a T-shirt over his head as he made his way to the front of the bus. He looked unbearably handsome, even rumpled and sleepy. Katie sat up and smoothed her hair, leaning over and craning her neck to see through the bedroom door. She couldn’t see all the way to the front of the bus, but she heard Charles’s voice when Blake let him in.
    “We don’t know exactly when it happened, but our tires were slashed last night. I called the police, but that’s it. We didn’t know if we should contact tour security or what exactly the protocol is for this kind of thing.”
    Katie hopped out of bed and hurried to the front. “The tires were slashed last night? Is everyone okay? Is anything else damaged? Did y’all see anybody?”
    Charles looked down at Katie, his mouth set in a grim line. “We didn’t see anybody. It was late when we got back to the bus last night, so we don’t even know when it happened. It could’ve been done while we were away or it could’ve happened while we were sleeping. We didn’t see anything or notice it when we got back and we never saw or heard anything when we were on board last night. There’s no other damage or sign of trouble.”
    Blake picked up his phone and dialed, then wandered to the back lounge as he spoke with tour security.
    Katie sat down on a sofa, shaking with fear and anger. “Who would do such a thing? Some crazed jealous fan?”
    “It could be some random crime, could be somebody with mental illness, we just don’t know. Could be personal, you know, you hear about fans who think they have a connection to a celebrity. Honestly we’re surprised it was our bus and not Blake’s. That’s what’s really confusing. Hopefully the police will be able to find some