AllFreeNovel
Share Us
It felt right.
He extended his arm along the back of Cassie’s chair, his wrist loosely draping over her shoulder. Distracted from her conversation, she turned to look at him, giving him a soft little smile that hit him dead center in the chest. He almost pulled away but forced himself not to. Because as unfamiliar as the emotions she evoked in him were, as much as he kept questioning what he was doing, he enjoyed touching her. He liked the way she made him feel. He liked being near her, hearing her voice and her laugh. He liked seeing how well she fit in with his friends. So instead of pulling away, he stroked little circles over the warm, bare skin of her shoulder with his thumb.
Her ponytail brushed across his forearm, and he let himself indulge in a fantasy of wrapping it around his fist and tugging her head back. He’d lean over, press his lips to her throat, and—
“Can I get everyone’s attention, please,” Connor interrupted Zac’s daydream. He subtly adjusted himself in his jeans as he looked toward where their lead singer and Lexie were sitting. “So, we actually asked you all here today because Lexie and I have some news we wanted to tell you all in person.”
Lexie’s face looked a little flushed, but her gray eyes sparkled prettily.
“Do you want to tell them, baby?” Connor asked his wife.
“Uh, sure. Um…” She was a little lost for words, and a seed of ice grew in Zac’s chest. “So, uh, Connor and I, that is…” She let out a breath. “Turns out I’m pregnant.”
Everyone started talking at once, high-pitched squeals from Summer and Eden, congratulations all around from the men. He needed to congratulate them too, but the words stuck in his throat, the ice spreading through his chest.
His hand dropped away from Cassie’s shoulder, and for one long beat, his mind stayed frozen on the word.
Pregnant.
The paralysis passed. “Congratulations,” he managed to get out through a dry throat.
He didn’t know why he was so shocked. He knew this was going to happen at some stage. Connor and Lexie had been married for two years. And although at one time he would’ve never believed Connor would get hitched, once he had, it seemed inevitable that he’d want it all.
And after Connor, who would be next? Noah and Summer were engaged. It didn’t look like Tex and Eden would be too far behind. Soon he’d be the only man left standing. Wivesandkids thrown into the mix changed everything for Fractured. It had to. His bandmates would be tied here, to their families. What would happen to their tours? To long days in the studio followed by PR events that lasted into the early hours of the morning? What would happen to the life he’d built around this band?
Over the too-loud thump of his heart, he stared at the grin creasing Connor’s face. Everything he knew was changing. His father was dead—the driving force behind everything he’d ever fucking done suddenly gone. Now, who knew what would happen with Fractured—would it even survive? Or would it crumble around him as his bandmates got pulled in different directions?
He suddenly wondered if this was why he’d been so driven to set up Crossfire when Fractured went on hiatus. Maybe he’d seen the writing on the wall even then, after Connor had fallen head over heels for Lexie. Had he been preparing himself to let go of the one thing he’d always had to hold on to?
Fuck. He was dizzy, his lungs laboring as if he couldn’t quite get enough air. He was an expert at putting on a good face, though. No one would know the panic scraping at his insides.
The rest of the celebration passed in a blur. He said all the right things, smiled, and laughed when expected. Shook Connor’s hand and kissed Lexie on the cheek. But all he could think about was how quickly he could get away.
Finally, it was over. On the drive back to LA, he tried to talk to Cassie as if nothing was wrong. Apparently, he wasn’t as successful as he normally was at pretending. Cassie leaned toward him and placed her hand on his thigh. “What’s wrong, Zac?”
A confusing vortex of feelings left him reeling. The bolt of lust he always felt when she touched him. A warmth that filled the space behind his rib cage at having her near. And sheer fucking terror at the fact she was there at all. That he’d let himself stumble into the one situation he’d spent his adult life avoiding.
Lexie and Connor’s announcement reverberated in his mind. Love, families, white picket fences. Those things went hand in hand, and they all pointed to the same thing. He was going to lose Fractured. Maybe not this year. Maybe not next year. But it was coming. He could sense it.
His heart tripped and stumbled at the concern in Cassie’s beautiful eyes. Eyes that were still filled with the same dreams he’d told himself right at the very fucking start meant he would never touch her.
But he had. He fucking had. He’d touched her and tasted her and hadn’t been able to let her go. And now, all he could see were those fucking white picket fences. Love and marriage and kids—her open gaze promised all those things. This was why it was so much easier just to be with women who wanted the same thing he did. A fuck or two, bragging rights if that’s what they were after, or just a no-strings-attached good time for a few weeks. He’d known from the very first moment he’d met Cassie that she wasn’t one of those women. And he’d taken her, anyway.
Zac looked back at the road. “I’m fine. Just thinking about the UK tour.” He stole another glance at her. Her lower lip was caught between her teeth, and her brow was furrowed.
She gave a slow nod. “Okay.”
Her hand withdrew, and he wanted it back again. He wanted it too fucking much. He drew in a breath. There was only a week left, and then this would be over. He would have done what he promised her—fixed his mistake. She would go back to her life, find another job in the industry while he was away, and that would be that. They’d probably never see each other again.
Zac viciously suppressed the pain that sawed through his chest. His music, Crossfire, and Fractured—whatever might be left of it—those were the only things that mattered.
He just had to make sure he remembered that.
ChapterThirty-Seven
Cassie stared out at the bright lights of LA. She sighed and slumped down on Zac’s couch. Things were going wrong, and she didn’t know how to fix them. Or if they even could be fixed. The distance between her and Zac that she’d noticed on and off since they’d gotten to LA seemed to be permanently in place now.
She’d tentatively tried to raise the issue with Zac that afternoon. She’d asked him if they could talk about what was going to happen with them when he left for the UK in just under a week’s time. He’d basically shut the conversation down, claiming he had to head out for another rehearsal. She wasn’t naïve. She knew what that meant. It wasn’t like she hadn’t been expecting it. Still, she’d let hope build. She let his invitation to LA mean more than it should have.
