Текст книги "Strings Attached"

Автор книги: Stephanie Julian

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Текущая страница: 11 (всего у книги 17 страниц)

“So, what are you wearing, babe?”

She laughed at the smirk in his voice. “Yoga pants and a t-shirt.”

“Anything underneath?”

“No.”

“Good. I want you to keep your clothes on.”

“What if I want to be naked?”

“Do you want me to fucking come already? Jesus, Tru. Let me at least jerk off to the sound of your voice for a few minutes.”

Yes, that’s the image she wanted. The sight of him jerking off and coming just from the sound of her voice.

“Lay down on your sofa, Sebastian.”

He grunted, probably from dropping onto the couch. “Alright, babe. Now what?”

Wait, he wanted her to tell him what to do? What the hell was she supposed to say?

“Tru?”

“Yeah?”

“Close your eyes.”

“Why?”

He laughed. “Just do it.”

With a huff, she did. And immediately understood why he’d had her do it. Amazing how freeing it was.

“Are you wearing jeans?”

“There you go.” His voice had dropped into a low, sexy rumble. “And yeah, I am.”

“I want you to open the button and unzip them. Then I want you to push them down so your cock’s exposed.”

She heard him shift around. “Feeling the breeze. My turn, sweetheart. Push your hand down your pants and tell me how wet you are.”

Sucking in a deep breath, she slid her fingers beneath her waistband and brushed against the short curls on her mound.

She let her fingers weave through the soft hair before she reached the heat at her center. She deliberately bypassed her clit because she knew if she touched herself there, she’d want to get off right away. And she didn’t want to come so damn fast.

“Tru?”

“Yes?”

“Fuck. How wet are you? Tell me.”

“I’m dripping. And hot. And I ache.”

“And I’m hard as a fucking post. I keep thinking about your mouth on me and where I’d put my mouth on you.”

Her fingers feathered through her labia, wetting her fingers in the moisture seeping from her body.

“Where? Where are you going to put your mouth?”

“I’d kiss you first because I can’t get enough of your mouth. And then I’d move down your body to your breasts and I’d suck your nipples into my mouth and make them hard.”

“I love having your mouth on me.”

“And I love having my mouth on you and my fingers inside you. Imagine my mouth sucking on your breasts and now put your fingers inside and fuck yourself with them.”

With her eyes closed, she could almost imagine he was there with her. The sound of his voice made her pussy clench around her fingers and she was so close to coming, she moaned and had to stop.

“Yes. I want to hear you when you come, baby.”

She took a breath and forced herself to hang on to her orgasm.

“I don’t want to come yet.”

“Good. I want you to hold out as long as you can.”

“It’s not going to be too long.”

“That’s okay because I’m so fucking close.”

“Are you stroking yourself?”

“Fuck, yeah. I’m jerking myself and thinking about having your mouth and your hands on me.”

Her orgasm hit her hard and she cried out as she heard Baz bite out a broken, “Fuck,” then groan.

With her fingers still inside her pussy, she felt the pulsing contraction and her wetness. And she wanted to be pulsing around his cock.

After at least half a minute, when all she heard was his heavy breathing through the phone, she finally took a deep breath and pulled her fingers from her body, making her shiver.

“You okay, babe?”

She smiled because she knew exactly what he’d look like if she could see him. He’d be staring at her with half-closed, hazy green eyes.

“I’m fine.”

“Good, ’cause I’m fucking wrecked.”

She laughed. “Is that good or bad?”

“Very, very good.”

“Okay. Glad to hear it.”

Silence fell again, though this time, she could tell he wanted to say something, but either didn’t know how or wasn’t sure what he should say.

“You tired?” was what he finally said.

“Yeah.” She thought twice about saying anything else. She didn’t want to bring another man into this conversation and anything she said could possibly lead back to that.

“As much as I want to keep you on the phone all night with me, you should go to bed so tomorrow will be here sooner.”

Her chest tightened at his sweet words. “Sebastian . . .”

“Yeah?”

“I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

“Me, too, babe. So fucking much.”

*   *   *

Baz’s ringing phone jerked him out of a deep sleep and he grabbed for it without looking at the number.

“Yeah. What’s up?”

“You called me, man. I’m listening.”

Nik.

“Hey. Thanks for calling me back.” He bit back the “finally” that wanted to follow that sentence. “We need to talk.”

“This isn’t talking?”

“Fuck you, Nikky. You know what I mean. We need to get together and hash this out.”

Nik sighed, loud and clear. “Yeah, I know.”

Okay, the bastard was going to make this difficult. And Baz wasn’t even half awake yet. But Nik had called so Baz dragged his ass out of bed and headed for the bathroom.

“Where are you?” Baz turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on his face.

“Still in Downingtown. Why?”

“Can we do this face-to-face?”

Nik paused and Baz’s heart tripped over itself.

Why the fuck was this so hard? Oh, yeah. Because he’d fucked up everything.

“Sure. Why the hell not? I can’t do it today, though.”

He sucked in a breath. “Okay. When?”

“Tomorrow. . I’ll text when I’m available.”

“Fine. That’s . . . fine.”

“Yeah, alright. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Nik hung up without another word, leaving Baz feeling like he’d just been kicked in the gut.

Fuck. Why did this fucking suck so much? And how the hell was he supposed to fix this?

They’d never been so far apart for this long. Had never not talked to each other for more than a couple days. At least not before last year.

Maybe it’s too late to fix it.

No, he refused to believe that. He was finally getting his shit together. This would work out and Baseline Sins would go back into the studio and they’d record again and they’d go on tour.

And he’d leave for months, possibly a year.

The thought didn’t make him feel like puking anymore, like it had for months after his overdose. But now . . . he had other things to consider.

Someone else to consider.

Christ, he could be completely jumping the gun on this, but the thought of not seeing Tru for months on end made him want to hit something. Something that might hit back.

For the past couple of months he’d seen her almost every day. He’d gotten used to it. To talking to her every morning. Until their conversation devolved into sniping and griping.

And he’d enjoyed that, too.

But the past couple of days had been amazing, not including her date last night, which he really didn’t want to think about.

No, he’d rather think about what she’d done with him after her date. That phone call last night . . . Christ.

He couldn’t fucking wait for tonight. Couldn’t wait to show her part of his world. And hope like hell she didn’t run screaming.

Amazingly, his phone didn’t ring the rest of the day. Apparently everyone else had their own lives to live. He got a few texts, but mostly he spent the day working on music, just him and his guitar.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d done this and not been climbing the walls or wishing he could take something to make him calm the fuck down.

Even better, by the time he needed to stop to get ready to pick up Tru, he had a complete song.

A ballad. An actual, honest-to-freaking-god love song. Something he’d never had any desire to write before.

Ever.

The song stuck with him through his shower and while he dressed, keeping him from being a girl and worrying about what to wear. He already knew where he was taking her to dinner and hoped like hell she didn’t have an objection to cheesesteaks, fries, and soda.

He had a feeling her date last night had been somewhere she had to wear a dress and that just wasn’t him. Not that he wouldn’t mind seeing her in a dress again. Something soft and feminine and maybe a little slinky. Not that she didn’t looked amazing in a pair of tight jeans and a t-shirt.

Like she did right now.

“Whoa, Tru. You look fucking hot.”

Her lopsided smile and the slight shake of her head as she waved him inside made him wonder if he’d said something wrong.

“Thank you. Let me just grab my purse and we can leave. Are we walking over to South Street?”

“Yeah. I figured since it’s only a couple of blocks . . .”

“No problem.” She pointed at her feet, and he smiled at the slightly worn, bright blue Converse Chucks on her feet. “I planned on it.”

After she grabbed her purse, slung it across her chest, and checked to make sure she had her phone, they headed toward South Street.

The air temperature still hovered in the mid-sixties, a beautiful early-May night. South Street buzzed with people. Tourists with their heads on a swivel as they poked in and out of shops. City dwellers on their way to dinner. Teenagers yelling and laughing as they rushed to be somewhere. Older couples strolling along as if they had all the time in the world.

With a ball cap on, no one looked at him twice as they waited for a table at Jim’s, talking about the crowd, the beautiful weather, and the fact that neither of them had gotten out all day to enjoy it.

Once they were seated, he took off his cap and ran his fingers through his hair before he realized she was watching him.

“What? Do I have hat head?”

Her smile made him want to lean over and kiss her, but he didn’t want to draw any attention. Not that he really expected anyone to recognize him, but he knew the possibility was always there and sometimes people weren’t as polite about it as he wished they would be.

Tonight, he just wanted to be a guy on a date with a girl and shut out the rest of the world.

“No. You just look so different when you wear a hat. I don’t know why that is.”

“Probably because I only wear one when I don’t want anyone to notice me.”

“So tonight you’re incognito?”

“Yeah. Because I don’t want to share my time with you with anyone else.”

She blushed, just a faint pink color in her cheeks that let him know he’d said the right thing. Good. He wanted to keep that up.

The waitress showed up to take their orders and returned in seconds with their drinks: sodas for them both. Maybe he’d have a beer later. Then again, maybe he’d want to be stone-cold sober when he got her into bed tonight.

Yeah, probably shouldn’t think about that now. He’d only make himself too damn horny and try to get her back to her house before they even got to the concert.

And he really did want her to see the concert. Wanted to share this part of his life with her.

They kept the conversation focused on innocuous stuff after that. The food, the music they were playing, the movies they liked. They spent at least fifteen minutes discussing Greg’s first film, The Virgin and the Terror. He’d loved it. She pretty much didn’t.

“If you ever tell Greg this, I will cut out your heart, but I just don’t get it.”

“What’s to get?” He set aside his empty plate and dragged his soda closer. She still had half a cheesesteak and he’d have been happy to just sit here and talk to her while she finished. “It’s epic.”

She rolled her eyes. “No, it is totally not epic. I mean, it’s a decent first film. There are worse, I guess, but oh my god, the script is so childish and the acting is kind of horrendous.”

“You know you’re dissing your boss right now?”

She waved away his words with a hand. “He’s heard me say this before so it’s no surprise. Honestly, sometimes I think he’s just as surprised by all the love that film gets.”

“I guess you’ve got to be a teenage boy to get it. It’s speaks to that geeky kid who wants to believe in dragons and slay one for a girl who’ll give her virginity for it.”

“I guess I gave up my virginity too easily, then. I should have waited for a dragonslayer to come along.”

He laughed at her wry tone. “I gave up mine to a former babysitter who had a thing for guitarists. She was only three years older than me, but I didn’t lose my cherry until I was almost seventeen.”

“Wow, a late bloomer.” She shook her head in mock dismay. “And you a rock star and all.”

“Yeah, well, don’t tell anyone. I’ll lose my street cred.”

“You started touring not too long after that, didn’t you?”

“Yeah. We had a song that took off and we were lucky that we had enough material for a full-length album that we cut in, like, three weeks. Then we went out on tour and didn’t stop for almost five years.”

“That must’ve been tough. You guys were so young.”

“Hell, no. It was fucking amazing. On the road with my four best friends, playing music almost every night, partying the rest of the time. The guys we’re gonna see tonight, Silence Divided, they were the headliners on our first tour. They pretty much took us under their wings. They actually met with our parents before we left and told them they’d make sure we were okay. We were five kids from the Coal Region, and we could’ve been the biggest fuckups ever. Hell, every other day, any one of us could’ve died from alcohol poisoning or dehydration. We were teenagers, for chrissake. We thought we had it made. We didn’t have a clue.

“Johnny and Mac made sure we didn’t kill ourselves those first few months. They’d already been through the drugs and the alcohol and the women and were married with kids by that time. We got lucky with them. They taught us how to survive on the road and how to keep our friendships from falling apart.”

“Have you seen them since you overdosed?”

She said it so matter-of-factly, it wasn’t as jarring as if she’d fumbled around and tried to find another word for what’d happened.

“Yeah, they both came to visit after I got out of rehab. I hid out at my parents for a while, and then I got an apartment and I hid there. They helped convince me I needed to get out and that’s when I moved down to Haven.”

“So they’re like mentors.”

“Yeah, I guess. But they’re also really good friends. They don’t tour much anymore. They’re more into the producing end of things now. But they’re two of the best rock musicians I know.”

“Then I really can’t wait to see them.”

The smile on her beautiful face made his fingers twitch with the urge to touch her. Take her hand or cup her face and run this thumb along her lips. Stuff he’d never wanted to do with another girl before.

Because Tru wasn’t just another girl. He knew that. Had known that from the moment he met her. Right before they’d pissed each other off.

Which just proved he still hadn’t been right enough in the head to be in the kind of relationship she deserved or wanted. Now, all bets were off.

He wanted her and he wasn’t going to deny himself any longer. Not that he’d been doing much denying in the past few days anyway. They’d jumped right into the deep end and hadn’t come up for air yet.

As if her smile embarrassed her, she glanced down at her plate and pushed it away. “I think I’m ready to go, if you are. Will we be too early?”

“Nah, the guys are probably backstage already. I’m gonna text them and let them know I’m coming.”

“You didn’t let them know already?”

He shook his head. “I didn’t want to tell them I’d be there and then bail if . . .”

“If, what?”

“If you didn’t come with me and I decided not to show.”

Her lips curved in a curious smile. “You wouldn’t’ve gone without me?”

Honestly, he didn’t have a clue. What he wanted to say, but didn’t because he didn’t want to frighten her away, was that he didn’t want to do anything without her.

Which was so fucking ridiculous since the first time he’d kissed her had been only three nights ago. But like everything else in his life, the hurricane had taken over and swept him away.

He hoped like hell he could hold on to her until she learned how to navigate that hurricane with him.

“Honestly, I don’t know.” He shook his head, trying to sort his thoughts into order. He wanted to talk to her about this, he just wasn’t sure he had the right words for it. But he’d try. “It’s gonna be tough, getting back into everything. I’ve been gone from the life for a year. Just thinking about it makes me a little twitchy.”

“Are you worried about falling back into old habits?”

“Not really.” He shrugged. “Maybe a little.”

Her smile softened. “It’s tough to go back but to have it be so different. To be so different.”

“Yeah.”

He realized he could just sit here and stare at her smile all night but that would probably get a little awkward for her so he caught the waitress’s eye and she brought their check in seconds.

A few minutes later, they were walking across South Street toward the Theater of the Living Arts, where the doors had already opened so there was no line at the box office.

The concert was supposed to start at eight and the crowd was a mix of ages from sixties down to elementary-school-age kids with their parents. His parents would never have taken him to a concert like this at that age, but then they hadn’t been into this kind of music.

His mom had been horrified the first time she’d come to one of their concerts and seen kids under the age of ten, wearing earplugs but singing along to all the songs sitting on their dads’ shoulders.

Pulling the ball cap lower, he headed to the box office, holding tight to Tru’s hand. A few people loitering in the lobby did a double take but no one came up to him. Maybe because they just didn’t expect to see him there. A year was a damn long time to be out of commission in his world.

He hadn’t gotten a text back from Johnny or Mac yet but he didn’t think he’d have much trouble talking his way inside if they hadn’t left him tickets.

“Tickets for Val Bastian. They would’ve been left by the band.”

The pretty blonde behind the window didn’t look at him as she turned to the side and rifled through a box. When she had to do it a second time, he had a few moments to wonder if Johnny and Mac had stopped leaving tickets for him at every date. No matter where they played, Johnny and Mac left tickets for every member of Baseline Sins. Baz and his band always did the same for them.

Maybe—

“Ah, here they are. Sorry. They were stuck at the bottom.”

Baz smiled at the girl, who returned it with a little more heat than he’d given her. He couldn’t have cared less.

Two all-access passes. Amazing how just the sight of them made him want to pump his fist in the air.

Turning to Tru, he slipped the lanyard over her head, running his fingers down the straps, to make sure it wasn’t twisted. And running his knuckles over the swells of her breasts, purely by accident, of course.

When he looked up, Tru was giving him that look, the one that let him know he wasn’t getting away with anything.

He smiled at her, grinned, actually, and she shook her head. But her lips had curved into a smile, as well.

“Come on, babe. I want you to meet the guys before they go on.”

Since the place hadn’t changed since the last time he was there several years ago, he walked over to the bouncer guarding the backstage door.

The guy glanced at them, checked their passes, then opened the door and waved them through.

No one stopped them until they got to the green room, where another bouncer, this one even bigger, held up his hand, holding a clipboard in the other.

“Name?”

“Sebastian Valenti. If I’m not on the list, check with Rick Florian, he’s the band manager.”

“You’re not on the list. The meet-and-greet for fans is down the hall.”

“If you can just—”

“Dude, I’m not a messenger.”

Because he knew how much shit bouncers dealt with on a nightly basis, he didn’t get pissed. “I get that. But can you stick your head in there and get someone? I’d appreciate it.”

With a sigh, the guy opened the door behind him and shouted, “Hey, someone with the band come and deal with this.”

Several seconds later, a teenager with long purple hair and a nose ring popped her head out the door, took one look at him and screamed as she rushed for him.

“Oh my god! Daddy is gonna freak out and die! He just got your text. Dude,” she glared up at the bouncer, “shove outta the way and let them through. If you had any taste in decent music, you’d know who the fuck this is.”

“Dana, holy shit, kid. Is it really you?”

As she grabbed his arm and pulled him and Tru past the now-scowling bouncer, the girl laughed like a demon and stopped just inside the doors to throw her arms around him.

“Damn right, it’s me. Been a while since we’ve seen each other, I know. And I’m now fully legal so you can’t call me a kid anymore.”

“No way you’re twenty-one. When the hell did that happen?”

The girl he remembered had been Johnny’s little princess, his only child when they’d first met. She’d been ten, he’d been eighteen. She’d followed all those tattooed and pierced rockers around like they were Prince Charmings, and she’d had every one of them wrapped around her little finger. He hadn’t seen as much of her as she’d gotten older, but he still saw that little girl with pigtails in the woman standing in front of him.

“Five months ago. God, it’s so good to see you, Baz. How the hell are you?”

“Better than I had been. Hey,” he pulled Tru up to his side from where she’d been hanging behind him, “I want you to meet Trudeau. Tru, Dana Owens, Johnny’s daughter and previously my number one fan.”

Dana laughed, shaking her head. “Still your number one fan. Just waiting for new music. Come on back. Daddy’s gonna cry, I swear.”

*   *   *

Tru watched Sebastian’s reunion with his friends and had to bite her lip to keep from shedding a few tears herself.

Johnny and Mac looked like two of the baddest-ass motorcycle bikers you’d never want to meet in a dark alley.

Johhny had a shaved head and his tattoos started at his neck and, she assumed, went all the way down to his toes. Mac had a salt-and-pepper ponytail that reached almost to the middle of his back and full sleeves of tattoos on both arms so colorful she caught herself staring at them several times.

And when they saw Sebastian, they practically shoved each other out of the way to hug him.

Tru hung back as Sebastian was enveloped by the two men, but after everyone took a breath, he brought her forward again for introductions.

Johnny and Mac had big smiles for her, too, but they were so intently focused on Sebastian, talking over each other much of the time, that she finally got far enough away to let Sebastian have a little privacy with the men.

At the tap on her shoulder, she turned to find Dana smiling at her and nodding her head toward a sofa in the corner of the room, where they went to sit.

“So, how’d you meet Baz?”

The girl’s long hair had been dyed a really beautiful shade of purple, which complemented the topaz-colored eyes she shared with her dad. That was the only trait they shared, however. Dana was shorter than Tru and slim, as if she hadn’t quite grown into her adult body yet. Her features were adorable, definite ingénue material except for the tiny t-shirt that left absolutely nothing to the imagination and the tight jeans that looked painted onto her body. The girl had a few tattoos, one similar to something Sebastian had, and a nose ring that would’ve made Tru’s mom shudder, but Dana made it all work without looking trashy.

“He’s doing the score for a film the company I work for is making. We’ve been working together for the past several months.”

“So you’ve been dating all that time?”

“No, actually this is our first real date.”

Dana’s eyes widened. “Seriously? You must love music.”

“I have to admit I’m not really into music. Except Sebastian’s.”

“Yeah, the guy’s got a way with a guitar.” Dana smiled up at her. “But I guess you know that, huh?”

“The man certainly is talented.”

Dana laughed, shaking her head. “Daddy always said Baz was one of the most natural guitarists he’d ever met. He really loves him. The guys were like the brothers I never had. They could’ve been huge, stuck-up dicks, but they never acted like prima donnas, ya know? They were just always so happy to be playing.”

Tru didn’t want to pump the girl for information, but she loved hearing about Sebastian from someone who’d known him before.

“I’ve only seen him play with the band on video. I wasn’t really into music before I met Sebastian.”

“Oh, there’s nothing like live music.” Dana looked almost rhapsodic. “It’s just got so much energy. I’ve been at concerts since I was a baby and I think my dad is the absolute best guitar player in the world. But Baz has something special.”

Tru couldn’t help turning toward him and found him watching her, even as he continued to hold a conversation with Johnny and Mac. When their gazes met, he smiled, just a slow curve of his lips but it made her want to strip away all her clothes and climb him like a pole.

She felt her cheeks flame and wondered if he knew what she was thinking.

The heat building low in her body led her to believe he was thinking about sex. Just like she was.

She dragged her gaze away as Dana continued to talk but she still felt his gaze on her. Not long after that, she heard Sebastian laugh and her gaze sought him out again.

“How’s he doing? Really?”

Dana’s quiet question forced Tru to give the other girl her full attention. “I think he’s doing better than he gives himself credit for. He’s stable. I think he’s gonna be fine.”

Dana sighed. “I am so glad to hear that. He’s one of the good guys.”

She shared a smile with Dana, nodding. “He can still be a pain in the ass.”

Dana’s laughter rang loud and clear. “Preach, sister. They all have their moments.”

They talked for a few more minutes before Sebastian, Johnny and Mac joined them.

“So, Tru, we’re trying to get this guy to join us onstage for a few songs. Tell him you want to see him play so he’ll agree. I have a feeling that’s the only way we’ll get him on stage tonight.”

Sebastian held his hands up in front of him. “Hey, guys, it’s not my show. I don’t want to take up your time.”

“It’s just us tonight, Baz.” Johnny clapped a hand on Baz’s shoulder. “No opener, no band. Three hours to fill. And we want you to play with us for a few songs. You know the crowd’ll love it.”

Sebastian looked at her and she saw the indecision in his eyes. “Nah, man. I don’t—”

“I’d love to see you play.”

It was the God’s honest truth and she knew if she didn’t say it flat out, he wouldn’t go out there. He’d stay by her side all night. But she wanted him to play, wanted him to get back on that stage and be who he was.

And she wanted to watch.

He still looked torn. “Really? I don’t wanna desert you—”

“I promise not to leave her side the entire time,” Dana piped in, practically bouncing on the couch as she linked her arm through Tru’s and rubbed their shoulders together. “She’ll be fine.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“See?” Johnny wrapped an arm around Baz as he winked at Tru. “She’ll be fine.”

Finally, he nodded. “Okay. Sure. Just a couple of songs.”

Tru started to smile and couldn’t stop.

*   *   *

Johnny and Mac went onstage ten minutes later to thunderous applause that Baz felt deep inside.

With his arm around Tru as she stood on one side and Dana sitting on an empty case on his other in the wings, he watched Johnny and Mac sail through an hour of music he’d grown up with. Music that’d made him want to write his own so one day he could make people feel the same way.

Ecstatic. Electrified. High.

For the first half hour, he couldn’t take his eyes off the guys who’d taught him how to be a better musician and not just how to be a rock star. In his eyes, they were gods.

When he finally managed to tear his eyes away and look out at the crowd, he saw most of them looked the same way he felt. And when he looked at Tru, he found her watching with an intensity she usually had only when watching clips of Greg’s films.

Fascinated.

Would she be as fascinated at one of his concerts? He hoped like hell he’d get to find out one day.

About forty minutes in, he noticed Dana’s head whip around. Then she bounced off the case and disappeared. He didn’t think anything of it until he felt a hand fall on his shoulder.

He turned . . .

And found Nik standing behind him.

Adrenaline dropped into his system and his heart began to pound. How stupid was that. Hell, he almost felt like he was about to go on a first date.

“Hey.”

Nik nodded, no smile on his face, and Baz realized Nik was just as surprised to see him.

Torn between wanting to talk to Nik and not wanting to cause a possible scene, he held up one finger to Nik, who nodded. Then he leaned over to whisper in Tru’s ear.

“Nik’s here. I need to talk to him.”

She looked up at him with wide eyes then turned to glance at Nik before looking back at him and nodding, a sympathetic smile curving her lips.

“I won’t be gone long.”

“Take as much time as you need. I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.”

He leaned in and spoke directly into her ear. “Yeah, but I wanna take care of you. And I will. Later.”

The look she gave him heated his blood. And made him feel surprisingly steady.

He bent to give her a kiss. No tongue, he just pressed his lips against hers and held her tight. When he took a step back, she blinked up at him, lips parted to draw in air. She looked a little flustered.

Good.

He looked up to find Nik watching them through narrowed eyes, arms crossed over his chest. Then Nik turned and headed back toward the green room.

When they finally had the door closed behind them, the music muted to a low drone, they faced one another.

Nik looked tired. Not just like he hadn’t slept well last night but like he hadn’t slept in weeks. Baz knew Nik could go weeks without getting more than a couple hours a night. Nik had learned at a really young age that you were most vulnerable when you were asleep. Anyone could walk into your room and you wouldn’t know.

“Hey.”

Nik had spoken first, surprising the hell out of Baz.

“Hey. How’ve you been?”

Nik shrugged, black hair glinting blue under the fluorescent lights. “Been better. You?”

“Still here. Still working.”

“Yeah, me, too.”

“Good, ’cause my music needs words.”

Nik didn’t say anything to that and Baz was about to push him when Nik continued.

“Had a feeling you’d be here tonight.”

So was that why he was here? To see Baz? “I had no idea you’d turn up.”

Nik snorted and shook his head. “No, I guess you wouldn’t have.”

“Damn it, Nikky, I didn’t mean that—”

“Stop.” Nik put one hand on Baz’s chest and held it there for several seconds before shoving it back in his jeans’ pocket. “Just . . . stop. Fuck. I told myself I wouldn’t do this. Wouldn’t deliberately piss you off so we’d fight. I’m so fucking sick of fighting with you.”