AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Of her dream of them being together forever.
She wrapped her arms around Zac’s bass and pressed it against her aching chest.
She just needed to figure out how.
ChapterNine
Zac made his way backstage. They’d just finished meeting with the venue management, and the others were heading to the bus for a break before they had to come back in for sound check. He should be with them. Instead, he found himself winding his way through the crew members busily setting up, keeping a lookout for long, dark hair.
He just wanted to check on her, make sure she was doing okay. See whether Charlie had got back to her yet.
He spotted Bryan first, and his fingers curled into fists when he saw Cassie staring up at him, her face pale. Her hands were tightly clenched around Zac’s bass, and the line of her spine was taut. He watched as Bryan walked away to join Stella. The asshole’s eyes narrowed on Zac when he noticed him.
Zac ignored him. He grabbed a second equipment case and dragged it over next to the one Cassie was sitting on. She must have been deep in thought because it was only when he dropped onto it that her head jerked around.
A hand flew to her throat. “You startled me.”
“Sorry. Just wanted to check on you and make sure you’re doing okay.”
He studied her face. Her eyes were tinged with red and slightly swollen, but it didn’t seem as if she’d been crying recently.
He nodded at the bass she was holding. “It’s still in one piece.”
She looked down at the instrument, then back up at him. “Did you think I was going to hit him over the head with it?” Amusement threaded through her voice.
He smiled. “I think you’re too professional to smash something so expensive. But I imagine the thought ran through your mind.”
Cassie laughed softly, her fingers smoothing over the body of the bass. Zac had a vision of them stroking over his skin the same way, and a shudder rippled down his spine.Jesus. It really had been far too long since he’d gotten laid if he was reacting that way to the sight of a pretty woman touching his instrument. He suppressed a grin as he imagined Tex’s or Noah’s response if he said that to them.
“Have you heard from Charlie yet?” he asked.
A breath puffed out of her. “No, not yet. I’ll track him down once I’m finished here and see if he’s had any luck. It’s not looking good, though.”
She darted a nervous look at him, probably wondering if Lexie had already mentioned the idea of her staying with them.
“So, if Charlie can’t find you something, you’re going to use our spare bunk?” He asked, to let her know Lexie had spoken to him.
She bit her lip. “Only if that’s okay.”
She looked pretty damn uncomfortable with the idea. That made two of them. But all he said was, “No problem.”
“I really appreciate it. Thank you.” The smile she gave him was self-conscious. “And you never know. Charlie might still be able to find me something.”
Zac just nodded as he watched her put the bass she’d been tuning on the rack, then get another one out of the case. She sat back down with it and went to work, seemingly okay with him sitting there with her.
Rather than leaving her alone to do her job as he should, Zac stayed and listened to her pick out a melody. He cocked his head. The instrument wasn’t out of tune, but the tone was slightly dull. Knowing when to change strings while you’re on tour is a fine art. New strings were too twangy for his taste, he preferred the more mellow sound after they’d been broken in. But being played every night meant that it only took a week or so before they became too dull. Keeping them in that sweet spot was a constant balancing act. Instead of saying something to Cassie, he waited and wasn’t surprised when she came to the same conclusion as him.
“I’ll restring it,” she said, looking at him to check he was okay with the decision.
He nodded and held out his hand to take it from her so she could grab the spare strings.
While she was doing that, he played a few lines of a song he’d been working on for the album, modifying it to adjust for playing it on a bass instead of a six-string.
He glanced up when he realized Cassie was standing next to him.
“That’s lovely,” she said, with a soft smile.
He handed the instrument back to her. “Thanks. It’s a work in progress.”
