Page 50 of Under the Ink

He hadn’t felt like this about a woman since…since Olivia.

Since high school.

And that meant only one thing: this idea was stupid.

What he needed was someone to slap some sense into him. Walking over to the door, he considered talking to Mickey—but he dismissed the thought almost immediately. Mickey would tell him to go for it because his friend had finally taken a chance on love of his own and wound up marrying the woman of his dreams, complete with a love child and a new little one who’d probably be walking by the time they joined the band on tour in Europe.

Yeah…Mickey would practically shove Sage at Naomi without a second thought.

And none of the roadies would be a good idea—especially Andy. What the fuck was going on there anyway? But he’d promised Naomi he wouldn’t pry or push.

That didn’t stop him from keeping an eye on the guy, though.

Back to the drawing board. Maybe Kiefer or Johnny would be better suited to help him out, because both had been in relationships with their women for a while. He’d settle for Kiefer if need be, but he’d prefer Johnny, simply because the man was a bit older than the rest of them—and he was now a family man.

Family man. That sounded funny even in Sage’s head—but it was true. And all the guys except for him were heading in that direction.

Pulling on the doorknob, Sage opened it and peeked out into the hallway of the venue. He’d expected to see some people hanging out, but the crew was probably stage-side—and the band was either in the green room or in their own dressing rooms, getting ready for the show.

As he walked past Kiefer’s door, he decided for certain to find Johnny. Kiefer was running scales loudly enough to be heard in the hall, and Sage didn’t want to interrupt him.

Of course, Johnny had a few pre-show rituals himself…but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t have a minute or so anyway.

What convinced Sage to ask was Johnny’s open door. It didn’t hurt that the guitarist saidhito Sage as he got close. “Ready for the show?”

“More than. What about you?”

“I gotta tell you…this tour has really reinvigorated my love of being on the road. Don’t get me wrong—I miss Katie and the baby so damned much, it almost hurts. But if you gotta tour, this is the way to do it.”

“I don’t disagree.”

“Sold out shows. Impeccable performances. Amazing reviews. It’s almost like we can do no wrong.”

“Itispretty fuckin’ cool.”

“Yeah—which will make seeing my family all the sweeter.”

Hmm. Would talking to Johnny be a good idea?

Yes. He needed the man’s perspective. He neededsomeone’sperspective. And, unlike Mickey, Johnny and Katie had been together far longer. “Hey…do you have a minute?”

“Considering we’re working the same job, yeah. I think so.” Johnny grinned, sitting down to tie the laces on his heavy black boots. Even though he’d cut his hair a while back, the guy was still metal as fuck, way more legit than Sage. In some ways, Sage was happy to plant his ass behind a big drum set because all people would see was the tattooed arms banging out the rhythm.

They didn’t need to know his history in order to enjoy what he brought to the band.

Johnny, though…the guy was metal through and through, which had made it an honor to have been chosen for the band. Sage had gotten really lucky, because when Mickey auditioned for the band in Winchester, Johnny had already had a drummer in mind—but the guy had flaked out and Sage had gone with Mickey, not realizing Johnny wasn’t auditioning for drummers.

He lucked out anyway.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t play drums or wasn’t talented—but beingherewas a fluke. Not that he was complaining. In fact, he was enjoying it for all it was worth.

Almost like Johnny had said but with Sage’s twist…if you gotta work, this was how to do it.

“Thanks.”

“What’s on your mind, man? Your drumming’s been tight. You’re kicking ass.”

“I appreciate that. I’m feeling pretty good there. But that’s kind of connected to why I wanted to talk to you. It’s about my new drum tech.”

---