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“I don’t need to be thanked.”
Apparently, he was stubborn as well as being a workaholic. “Then just consider it part of my job as your guitar tech. How can you play your perfectly tuned basses to their full potential if you’re all tense?”
He gave a low laugh. “Well, when you put it that way.” He turned around, then glanced over his shoulder at her. “Is it okay if I take my shirt off?”
“Oh, uh, of course.”
Cassie’s cheeks heated when he stripped his T-shirt off and held it balled in his hands as he leaned back against the seat.
She let out a quiet breath, then placed her hands on his shoulders and pressed her thumbs into his muscles. He said nothing, just let his head drop forward so she could work.
It didn’t take long for Cassie to regret her offer. She was so used to giving Bryan massages, she hadn’t thought how different it would be to have her hands on another man. A man who—as much as she was trying not to notice—felt a little too good under her fingers. Her thumbs made small circles up the back of his neck, brushing the tiny velvet strands of hair at his nape. Her breaths grew uneven.
He smelled good too. Obviously, he’d showered after the concert. The fresh, masculine scent filled her senses. It was slightly intoxicating.
She worked her hands back down, her thumbs rolling over the leather cord he wore around his neck. She’d seen the pick that hung from it a couple of times when it had slipped out from under his shirt. She wondered what sentimental value it had. Was it his first pick? Did it once belong to an idol of his?
It wasn’t the right time to ask. Not when she was trying incredibly hard not to notice how smooth and warm his skin was. She was suddenly all too aware of his broad shoulders and the densely packed muscles that covered them.
Zac’s breaths deepened as she worked, and when she pressed her fingers into a particularly tense knot, he let out a deep groan. The kind of groan that conjured up visions of sweaty bodies and tangled sheets. Heat unfurled low in Cassie’s belly, and her fingers trembled.
The muscles that had loosened under her ministrations tightened. Had he noticed her reaction? After a frozen second, it appeared he was merely shifting position. He tilted his head a little to the side, allowing her to work her way back up his neck.
Now Cassie was hyperaware of him. His every breath, his tanned skin, the warmth emanating from him. It was shockingly intimate. She’d never been with anyone but Bryan. He was her first and only. But her mind suddenly filled with visions of Zac. What would it be like to be naked with him, running her hands over every inch of his body, not just his shoulders?
What would it be like to have his hands all overherbody?
She imagined the rasp of his stubble against her sensitive skin, the wet heat of his mouth on her breasts, the hard press of his hips between her thighs. Would he fill her so completely, she wouldn’t be able to think of anything but him? Would he make the same groan when he—
Cassie inhaled sharply at the arousal that blasted through her. Her nipples tightened into diamond-hard peaks, and she jerked her hands away, almost stumbling in her haste to step back from him.
Expecting him to turn around and ask what was wrong, she crossed her arms over her chest to hide her physical reaction. Her mind reeled, preparing to give him some lame excuse about her hands getting tired.
For a few seconds, he didn’t move at all. He faced away, his spine a rigid line. When he finally turned to look over his shoulder at her, his hazel eyes were dark. They raked over her, and she licked her lips and took another half-step back.
They stared at each other. Could he see the thoughts written on her face? Was she looking at him exactly the same way all those other women did? Cassie’s cheeks heated.Please don’t see it.
Zac cleared his throat. “Thanks. That was… good.” His voice was a little rougher than usual, but that was it. He couldn’t know she’d been fantasizing about what it would feel like to have him inside her.
The tension gripping the back of Cassie’s neck loosened a little. Maybe it wasn’t as obvious as she feared. Maybe she was just overly sensitive to her body’s reaction because she hadn’t expected it. Not so soon after Bryan.
She gave him a tentative smile. “No problem. I’ll, uh, let you get back to it.”
She retreated to a safe distance, picked up her notebook, and slumped down on the couch. A quiet breath gusted out of her. That was surprising. Not that she didn’t find Zac attractive, but she’d never fantasized about him. Not like that, anyway. She might have occasionally glanced at his firm, masculine lips or a snuck a furtive look at his abs when he pulled his T-shirt up to wipe the sweat off his face after a performance. But certainly nothing like the vivid imagery that had made her body react as if they were actually naked together.
Her eyes slid back to Zac. He’d picked up his guitar and his fingers danced over the frets, his mouth moving silently through a song. Heat crept over her skin again as she watched the muscles in his forearms flex.
She let her head thunk back against the wall of the bus.
Great. Just what she needed. A silly crush to make this horrible tour even more hellish.
ChapterThirteen
Zac had felt it in her hands first. The moment when the simple massage turned into something else. Her fingers quivered against his skin. Her breathing quickened, even as her movements slowed. Her strokes became more of a caress. He couldn’t stop his body’s reaction, knowing what she was imagining.
Because he was imagining it too.
He knew having her hands on him was a bad idea. But he let her do it, anyway, knowing she just wanted to help. Sensing she was still trying to find her feet traveling with them. He could hardly tell her it had been weeks since he got laid. That having a beautiful woman touch him would probably do the complete opposite of what she intended. And for some reason, he decided to make it harder on himself and take his shirt off.
