Page 71 of Fractured Rhythm

“Really? Come on. You know we have to meet the bus in like thirty minutes or the guys will barge in here again,” she said, and I couldn’t fault her on that. It wasn’t like they hadn’t already done that once.

The show was late tonight, so the crew had gone ahead first thing this morning in one of the busses. Cassie and I would be on the band bus with Jax, Tristan, and Charlie. Josh was scheduled to meet us at Connors. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been in the same room with our manager. Hell, it’d probably been at the funeral. I’d skipped out on almost every in-person meeting with him—well, with anyone—since then.

“Damn. I wish you had a car.”

She laughed. “Who has a car in this city? I rent one when I have to go out of town like every other New Yorker.”

“I know. Maybe we could christen the back of the tour bus today?” We’d never done that when we were hooking up years ago. Too risky. But hell, I’d wanted to take her on every space I could get.

“Umm. Definitely not. I won’t have sex hair right before I see your parents again,” she said.

“Come on, Cas. I won’t touch your hair, and you can be on top so it won’t get messed up,” I said.

She laughed. “Thanks for thinking of me, but nope. We’ll have plenty of time once we’re at the hotel after the concert. You still get super horny after a show?” She tossed that comment out there like she was asking me about the fucking weather.

“How about you not mention the word horny around me if you aren’t going to put out,” I teased, trying to pull her against me.

Then my phone buzzed.

Tristan:You have two minutes to get outside or Jax will start banging on the door and causing a scene. Fair warning.

I grinned. Fucking pain in the ass.

Bash:Thanks for the heads-up. Coming down now.

“What’s that about?” she asked.

“Tristan said they’ll be here in two minutes.”

“Perfect timing,” she said.

“Worst timing.”

She giggled and then leaned in to give me a quick kiss before she darted out the front door. I growled. It was going to be a long and painful bus ride.

“By the way, I like the new hair color,” she said as we headed out of her building.

“You kept saying you missed my old hair,” I said. I’d gone back to my original color. I didn’t need to hide behind the inky black disguise anymore. Not that it really hid me, but I’d wanted a change.

“I was getting used to the black, but this is nice. Are you planning to grow it out again? I kind of like the new style,” she said.

“I’ll probably leave it like this for a while.”

“Hey, losers, you getting in?” Jax yelled as soon as we walked out of the building.

“We’re coming,” Cassie called back.

“Yeah. I bet you are. Just not in the back of the bus, okay?” Jax barked out, and she gave an exaggerated shudder.

Asshole.

“Gross, Jax,” Cassie said.

“Yeah, you’re telling me. You’re like our sister.”

“Well, I’m not, so shut up,” she said as she stepped onto the bus.

“Do you have condoms at least?” he asked.

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