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As soon as they were gone, Zac approached her. He stopped in front of her and shoved his hands in his pockets.
He was silent for a long moment, then he cleared his throat. “I owe you an apology.”
It felt too much like a disadvantage having him looming over her, so she stood, wanting to be on an equal footing with him.
That put them closer, though. Close enough that she had to tilt her head back to look up at him. God, she was far too aware of him now. Too familiar with how his body felt against hers. “I understand what you were trying to do. You were just… looking out for me. Proving a point to Bryan. You don’t need to apologize for that.”
Her pulse was speeding up, her lips tingling with the memory of his mouth on hers. She hated that her body was reacting to his proximity like never before. She hated even more that she’d responded so enthusiastically to a kiss he’d only given her to make a point.
At her words, something flashed in his eyes, but his expression didn’t change. He was completely composed. Nothing like the man who had stalked toward her through the crowd like some dark, dangerous jungle cat last night.
“Still, I shouldn’t have done it. Particularly not when you work for me. It won’t happen again. I promise.”
Her heart did a strange stutter of disappointment. But this was exactly what she needed, wasn’t it? Reassurance that everything was okay and what happened was just a one-off. So why did she have to fake a smile? “Okay.”
He searched her face for one long beat, nodded, and headed for the kitchenette without another word.
Cassie let out a breath and sank back down onto the seat. She watched him move around as he made himself a coffee. The memory of his hard muscles under her hands and something even harder pressing against her stomach sent a shiver through her. She looked away.
That damn kiss. She wished it had never happened. She understood his reason for doing it. Sort of. But now there was something physical between them that hadn’t been there before. Or maybe ithadbeen. The memory of how her body had reacted to touching him the night she’d given him a massage tugged at her. Things were all muddled up in her head now. How could she be attracted to anyone so soon after what had happened with Bryan? Particularly an attraction this intense. Shouldn’t she be in mourning for the death of the only relationship she’d ever had?
Eventually, the others came out from the bunks, and conversation flowed around her. But Cassie remained lost in her thoughts until they pulled into the parking lot of the arena they’d be playing at in Fargo, North Dakota. The bus shuddered to a halt with a hiss of hydraulic brakes. They were barely stopped a few seconds before the door swished open and someone thumped up the stairs.
Drew strode toward them, scowling. “What the hell were you thinking?”
Cassie’s stomach lurched.
“What’s going on?” Zac responded.
Drew held his phone up for everyone to see.
Cassie sucked in a sharp breath. The headline of the website article screamed out at her:Is Fractured’s Bass Player Fracturing Relationships?
And below that was a dark, blurry, but unfortunately clear enough photo of her and Zac on the dance floor. His hands were buried in her hair, hers were clutching the shirt at his chest, and their mouths were fused together. Bryan was beside them, rage on his face, with Tex clearly fending him off.
“Oh my god,” she whispered, pressing a hand to her stomach as nausea swelled and rolled.
“And it’s not the only site that’s picked the story up,” Drew said. “You two made quite a scene last night.” He flicked through a few more websites, all with variations of the same photo.
“Fuck.” Zac squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Tex and Noah laughed hysterically, and even Connor was grinning. Summer and Eden exchanged small smiles of amusement with each other. None of them seemed to be bothered by the article.
A touch on the back of her hand jerked Cassie out of her tailspin. Lexie’s expression of concern was probably in response to whatever emotion was showing on Cassie’s face. But she, Drew and Zac were the only ones who looked less than amused.
“You two can stop laughing.” Drew pointed at Tex and Noah, then looked back at Zac. “It’s not you I’m worried about.”
His gaze slid to Cassie, and dread swirled through her. “I’m sorry, Cassie, the articles aren’t very flattering.”
Zac’s spine snapped straight. “Give it to me.”
Drew handed his phone over, and Zac scrolled through it, his expression growing stonier by the second.
“What does it say?” Cassie’s voice was choked.
He didn’t lie to her or try to soften the blow. “They identified you by name as Bryan’s fiancée and mention you’re working as a guitar tech for Fractured.” He looked up at her. “It basically insinuates that you’re a bed-hopper who cheated on your fiancée with me, and that it’s causing issues on the tour.”
Dizziness hit her.Bed-hopper?They were suggesting she was a… a… whore. Just like her… just like—
Cassie’s gut churned. She squeezed her eyes shut and swallowed through the constriction in her throat. Ending up with the same label as her mom wasn’t what she should be worrying about the most right now. If staying on the tour was supposed to protect her professional reputation in the music business, she might as well have packed up and gone. Now everyone was going to assume she was just sleeping her way through the rock stars she worked for. Who would want to hire her if they thought she was causing those kinds of issues? She’d be passed over for all the good jobs and probably only end up getting hired by musicians who thought she’d be up for a little fun on the side.
