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“Just until I go to the UK,” Zac replied to Connor’s question, his voice gruff. “She doesn’t have a place of her own to go back to yet. Or a job. She’s free at the moment.”
“So, is this a real thing between you two?” Noah asked.
Zac scowled at the excited look on the drummer’s face.
“Because I think that’s awesome. Cassie’s great. She’s perfect for you,” the drummer continued.
Discomfort made Zac’s breath shallow. He should have known his friends would try to make a bigger deal of this than it was. Yes, he liked Cassie. A lot. He knew asking her to come home with him was completely out of character. But he wasn’t interested in analyzing or labeling it. Neither he nor Cassie was ready to say goodbye yet, and that was all this was. He was going to the UK two weeks after they got back, and he’d be gone on tour for three months. It made sense to make that the end of this thing between them, whatever the hell it was.
Before this, the thought of touring with Crossfire in the UK and recording at Abbey Road had filled him with excitement, but now there was only a strange sense of disconnect. He was just tired. That was all. It had been an intense tour with everything that had happened. The album, his dad, Cassie… And he only had two weeks of downtime before he had to do it all over again.
“Nothing’s changed. This is still temporary. It just makes sense for us to stay together until she has a new job lined up.”
He ignored the skeptical expression on his friends’ faces. Yeah, he knew it didn’t make sense. Coming to LA with him was only going to delay her finding a new job in Las Vegas. But whatever. They were going to think whatever they wanted to, regardless of what he said.
“Whatever you say, man,” Tex drawled with a smirk, proving Zac’s point for him. But his friend’s grin fell away. “Just, for fuck’s sake, don’t be blind to what’s going on between you two. You’re very good at reading everyone else. Not so good at yourself. Don’t make the same mistakes we did, okay? You didn’t have a problem telling us when we were being fucking clueless.”
He didn’t want to keep talking about this. Yes, he’d had opinions when it had come to his bandmates’ relationships. He was regretting sticking his nose in now, since it seemed to mean they thought they could do the same with him.
Wanting to end the conversation, he just nodded and took another sip of his beer. There were only a few performances left on this tour, and then they’d be heading home. No matter what the others thought, he and Cassie had this thing under control. Everything was going to be fine.
* * *
“Thank you, San Diego! You’ve been amazing. We’ll see you again soon!”
All four of them gave their usual salute to the crowd and left the stage to a wave of screams and shouts that made Zac’s ears ring. He made a beeline to where Cassie was waiting for him, her gorgeous smile making his heart thump erratically in his chest.
He took his bass off, but when she reached for it, instead of handing it to her, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her toward him, claiming her mouth.
There were scattered cheers from the other crew, already dismantling equipment for the final load-out of the tour. Zac ignored them, focused on her taste. On the feel of her hands sliding up his chest and wrapping around his neck so she could pull herself closer.
This was the last time he’d get to do this. The thought struck him like a blow. She’d never again be waiting for him when he finished a show. He’d never be able to bask in the warmth of her smile or the press of her body against his. It wasn’t as if he could keep her on as his guitar tech after everything that had happened. That would just be asking for trouble. Not to mention it wasn’t what she wanted to do long term.
He deepened the kiss, trying to drown out the hollow ache in his chest the thought triggered. He still had two more weeks with her in LA. Apart from some sessions with the guys to finalize their album setlist and get some practice in, he’d have plenty of time. They could have their fill of each other before they went their separate ways.
Cassie broke away with a breathless laugh. “I have to finish getting your stuff packed up.”
He grumbled but let her go. “See you at the after-party?” That was another thing he was going to miss. Having her there at the after-parties had made them far more enjoyable. Not that he didn’t enjoy engaging with his fans. It was the other stuff that had started to get old. The groping, the constant flirtation, and groupies vying for attention. He hadn’t realized how frustrating it had gotten over the years, never knowing if someone was going to talk to you about your music or just do whatever wild act they thought would get you to take them somewhere and fuck them.
She smiled. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
He dropped another quick kiss on her lips, then left, heading for the dressing room to shower and change. He was tired and looking forward to getting home tonight. But more than that, he was filled with a strange sense of adrenaline completely unrelated to what he’d just been doing on stage. Something that might have a lot more to do with the woman he’d just walked away from and the fact that tonight she’d be in his home.
* * *
Zac gripped Cassie’s hand as he pressed in the code to unlock his apartment door. He swung it open and led her inside.
“Wow,” she breathed, looking around at the huge open living room.
He looked around too, seeing his home with fresh eyes. With its light wooden floors, enormous windows, and modern, understated furniture, it was spacious and beautifully airy. “Hang on, I’ll just get our bags, then show you around.”
Cassie waited for him in the middle of the room, her hands twisting in the hem of her top. She seemed as unsure about being in his home as he was having her there.
Dumping the bags by the door, he went to her, cupped the back of her head, and kissed her. She relaxed against him, and some of his own uncertainty faded. He pulled back, grabbed her by the hand, and led her farther into the living room. All his Fractured bandmates lived in houses in Malibu, while he lived in an LA apartment. It was a big fucking apartment, though—more than big enough for him. And it had an awesome view over the city.
“Oh my god, Zac,” Cassie said as she approached the floor-to-ceiling windows and saw the lights spread out in front of her. She reached out and touched the glass with her fingertips. “It’s so beautiful.”
“Yes, it is,” he said, but he wasn’t looking at the view. He took her hand again and pulled her away from the window. “Plenty of time to admire LA later.”
