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He couldn’t let Cassie’s beauty, her sweetness, her poet’s soul, make him lose sight of what was important.
He’d only end up hurting her
He was his dad’s son after all.
ChapterTwenty
Cassie stared hard at the bedroom door, willing it to open and for Zac to walk out. But it remained the way it had been all night, slightly ajar.
She was dying to use the bathroom, but the only one was off the bedroom. Zac had left the door open for her. So why was she so reluctant to go in there?
She stood, fixed up her twisted tank top, then made her way over to the bedroom door. She gave a soft knock, in case he was awake, but there was no answer. Easing it open, she slipped through.
The room was dark, but not so dark that she couldn’t make out his long form lying on the bed. She made her way quietly toward the bathroom. With a mind of their own, her eyes slid back to where he lay.
He must be a restless sleeper because the sheets were tangled around his legs. He was only wearing a pair of black boxer briefs, leaving his chest bare. Her steps slowed as she let herself drink him in—his broad shoulders, defined pecs, the curves and the ridges of his six-pack, and the far-too-enticing V etched at his hips.
Her gaze slid lower to the bulge in his briefs before she jerked it away and increased her pace. She made it into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. Leaning against it, she blew out a breath.
Why did he have to be so gorgeous? It was distracting in the worst possible way. She was technically free to look now, but Zac definitely wasn’t who she should be looking at.
She considered taking another shower, given the hotel one was so luxurious, especially after weeks of bus life. She didn’t want to wake Zac up, and she hadn’t thought to bring any clothes with her. The last thing she wanted was to try to sneak past him, clutching a towel around herself. Or to have to rush and get dressed out in the front room.
Cassie contented herself with tidying her hair with her fingers and brushing her teeth.
Ready to sneak out again, she startled. Zac was awake and sitting up with his back against the headboard.
Once again, her eyes disobeyed her and dropped to his muscular chest. She snapped them away before he could see. “I’m sorry if I woke you,” she said.
“You didn’t. This is about when I usually wake up.” His voice was husky and deeper from sleep. It sent a little shiver through her.
“Well, I’ll let you get dressed.” She quickly retreated to the living room before she lost control of her eyes again.
After Zac showered and dressed, they headed down to the restaurant for breakfast. All the others were already there, sitting at a booth large enough for their group. Cassie smiled at them and slid in behind Zac, realizing too late how the constraint of space meant they were pressed together. She tried to ignore the hard length of his thigh against hers.
“Sleep well?” Lexie asked.
“Yeah, the couches in those suites are ridiculously comfortable,” she said. “I’ve been missing out in those cheap rooms we were staying in.” She gave Zac a teasing smile.
“You made Cassie sleep on the couch?” Tex was outraged.
Zac leaned back in the seat, his bicep brushing her shoulder. “Hey, man, I offered. She insisted on staying on the couch. Twisted my arm behind my back and everything.”
Noah snorted. “She must be stronger than she looks.”
Zac’s gaze met hers, humor glinting in the depths of his hazel eyes. A little shock of something sparked through her, but she forced herself to look back at the others. “To be fair, I had to coerce him into agreeing to take the bed.”
Lexie laughed. “Cassie, you’re a woman after my own heart.”
Connor draped an arm around his wife’s shoulders and dropped a kiss on her dark head.
Cassie gave her a shy smile, then checked out the menu.
After they ordered, the conversation continued around the table. Cassie looked around at the four men and one woman, and warmth spread through her. This was what she’d always imagined having a group of close friends would be like. The banter, the laughter. It didn’t seem to matter that four of them were mega-famous rock stars. There was an ease about them, a confidence in who and what they were that didn’t require being pandered to.
And they’d accepted her into their circle without hesitation, in a way that Bryan’s friends and bandmates never had. Those people had never gone out of their way to make her feel welcome. In fact, sometimes, it seemed like they’d tried to exclude her as much as possible. Bryan had done little to change that. She didn’t know if he’d even noticed. Or cared. And she didn’t know why she’d never said anything to him about how it made her feel.
“You’re coming with us, aren’t you Cassie?” Lexie’s question jolted her back into the conversation.
