Free The Songwriter by A. P. Jensen

that, but it just makes me more nervous.”
    He ran his hands up and down her arms. “Don’t worry about it. It’ll get easier.”
    “ I’m sure Angie told you about my meltdown.”
    “ Every single detail.”
    She pulled out a drawer , which also served as a fridge, grabbed a frozen meal and tossed it into the microwave. “I don’t know how to shake that. I didn’t think I was gonna make it through The Better Man .”
    “ I saw it in your eyes,” he agreed, digging through her drawers and coming up with a bag of Dove chocolates. “But once you hit Touch Me , you were fine.”
    “ I know, I know,” she said, grabbing her steaming meal with a towel and taking a seat at the tiny table. “I know I’m not going to die when I go up there. I know I can sing my songs well, but knowing I have to go up there makes me sick.”
    Trey read the inside of the candy wrapped and smirked. Gwen kicked him under the table to get his attention.
    “ Okay,” he said bracingly. “Honestly, I don’t know what advice to give you about that. All I can say is you’re amazing and you don’t have to worry. The crowd loves you, I love you. Everything’s good.”
    She paused with her fork halfway to her lips. She raised her brow at Trey , who didn’t even register what he’d said. He was reading another candy wrapper and he snorted as he chewed on another chocolate square. Men, she thought.
    “ I don’t know what happened to me after the performance. My body just shut down.”
    “ You channeled all your energy into the audience,” Trey explained with a shrug. “It’s normal, though I’m surprised you let go that much.”
    “ I didn’t have a choice. The crowd got me hyped and sucked me dry.”
    Trey crossed his hands behind his head, eyes twinkling. “Isn’t it great?”
    “ You’re insane. I have no idea how you’ve done this over twenty years. I think I aged ten years last night. I’ll be the happiest girl alive the last day of the tour.”
    “ You’re gonna want to do another tour, I guarantee it,” he said smugly.
    She slapped his hand when he tried to st eal a piece of her chicken. “No I won’t. I want to go back to my quiet life and I want to keep my hearing, thank you very much. Damn the crowd is loud. I forgot how famous you are.”
    He loo ked at her suspiciously and she made sure her expression was guileless.
    “ My reputation is partly due to you for the hits and partly due to Natasha for the sex appeal. Now I can get both from the same woman.”
    Her heart skipped and she looked at him lounging across from her. She waved her fork. “How do you figure Natasha’s responsible for your sex appeal?”
    “ You know, our chemistry onstage was great and women eat it up. They want what they can’t have.”
    She choked. “What?”
    “ Come on. Women want unavailable men.”
    “ You’re full of shit!”
    “ I’m serious! If a man is committed to another woman, is that attractive?”
    She debated for a second. “Yeah, I guess.”
    “ Women flocked to me, knowing I was taken. It’s bizarre.”
    “ Women don’t drool over you because you’re taken. They fall all over you because you’re sexy. Duh.” She groaned when she saw she had his complete attention. “I’m just saying, Natasha has nothing to do with it.”
    “ You think I’m sexy?”
    She looked him over and was satisfied when he shifted under her scrutiny. She made him uncomfortable. Good. To get him back for his teasing, she made her eyes deliberately heavy and saw him swallow.
    “ You have great eyes, a killer body and when you’re not being a slave driver, you’re sweet.” When he stared speechlessly at her, she blinked innocently. “Does that make you uncomfortable?”
    He cleared his throat. “No. Course not.”
    “ Good.”
     
     
    Despite the success of the first show the second in Duluth, Georgia came way too soon. To her surprise, Oliver was impressed by her performance and stopped by her bus to chat with her while