Fragile by A.K. Evans

Seventeen

Demi

“Is everything okay?”

That question came from Cash. I had just walked into his kitchen to find that he’d made food for us. Lots of it, too. Seeing it, I stopped moving and remained frozen to the spot.

Is this what it’s like?

That was the only thought running through my mind as I took in the scene before me. For the first time ever, I’d spent the night with a man—one who meant something to me—and I’d just walked into his kitchen the next morning to find that he’d made breakfast.

Or, I guess, it should probably be called brunch considering the time.

Either way, I was only slightly bummed about the fact that I’d denied myself from experiencing something like this for so long, but given that my first time it was happening was with Cash made it all worth the wait.

Then again, there wasn’t much that hadn’t been worth the wait when it came to him. The only real issue I had with any of it was that I’d been the one to hold back with him for so long. I was not, in any way, disappointed that I held out for so long waiting for him to come along.

I hadn’t expected him to come down and do all of this for me. It was just that I needed to make a phone call this morning.

Cash and I had woken up this morning and immediately gotten distracted with sex, which was no less fabulous than the first two times we’d had it last night. Afterward, we’d discussed what was happening over the next few days.

“You flew here, right?” he asked when we were curled up in bed with one another earlier this morning.

“Yeah.”

“Is there a return flight scheduled?”

“Sunday night,” I told him.

There was not an ounce of hesitation in his voice when he requested, “Would you mind canceling it and staying longer?” When I didn’t respond because I was still trying to process the fact that he wanted me to stay longer, he added, “I’ll cover any of the costs for switching the flight.”

“It’s not the money I’m worried about, Cash,” I said.

“What’s wrong then? You seem troubled,” he noted.

Smiling at him, I shared, “You want me here.”

Confusion washed over him. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“It’s not,” I assured him, shaking my head. “It’s just taking me a minute to catch up. You’re so sure about everything, and I’m just—”

“Worried?” he guessed, cutting me off.

I shrugged. “Maybe a little,” I admitted.

Cash, who had been on his back in the bed while I sat up beside him, tightened his abs and came to a seated position beside me.

“Demi, I didn’t think that wanting more time with you would be the kind of thing that would make you scared or nervous,” he began. “I’m not trying to make you uncomfortable or move faster than you’re prepared for. I just… I have to get back on the road soon, and I’m not ready to let you go just yet.”

When he put it like that, I couldn’t say no. He wanted more time with me. It wasn’t as though I didn’t feel the same. The fact that I completely did not want to even think about him getting back on the road while I made my way back to New Hampshire was weighing heavily on my mind, too. It wasn’t something I wanted to even think about at the moment, so I simply leaned closer and said, “I need to make a phone call. I want to let Cal know that I’m going to be staying a few extra days.”

He smiled against my mouth, brushing his lips back and forth against mine. Then he said softly, “Okay. You make your call and meet me downstairs.”

“My phone is lost somewhere down in the pile of clothing at the front door,” I informed him.

He reached out to the side, grabbed his phone off his nightstand, and said, “You can use mine.”

“Are you sure?” I asked. I didn’t know how he felt about members of the general public having his number.

“Are you calling your cousin?” he countered.

“Well, I was going to call my best friend first,” I confessed. “The likelihood is that Sam is with Cal anyway, so I could kill two birds with one stone.”

“I don’t think Sam is going to go distributing my number to anyone, so it’s cool,” he insisted. “Use my phone and make your call. The code is zero nine zero seven.”

“Okay,” I agreed.

With that, Cash gave me a kiss before he twisted his body and heaved himself out of the bed. I watched as he paraded in his birthday suit across the room to pull on a new pair of gray sweats.

Yum.

Then he moved to the closet, disappeared behind the door for a moment, and came back toward the bed. He tossed a T-shirt down in front of me. “You can wear that for now if you’re interested in covering up,” he offered. “Though, I will say that I’m entirely alright with you remaining naked.”

I tried to scowl at him, but my efforts were futile because he simply laughed as he started walking away.

“You owe me a pair of panties,” I reminded him.

He moved to the doorway, stopped, and looked back at me. “If I recall correctly, firecracker, I said I’d buy you a hundred pairs.”

“One would be sufficient,” I insisted.

“Not if I plan to rip more of them off your body,” he returned.

My mouth dropped open at his brazen comment, and I didn’t get the chance to respond because he laughed again and walked out.

I took a moment to allow myself to remember how it felt when he’d ripped my panties off me last night, and then I picked up his phone to call Sam.

Now, I was standing in his kitchen, wearing his T-shirt, and I couldn’t stop the good feelings from overwhelming me.

“Demi?” Cash called when too much time passed without a response from me.

“Yeah?”

“Did everything go okay with Sam?” he asked.

I shook off the thoughts I’d been having and moved toward the table, where he was sitting.

“Yeah,” I answered as I came to a stop beside him.

Cash’s eyes roamed over me, moving from head to toe and back again. When they stopped on my face, he reached his arm out, curled it around the back of my waist, and urged me into his lap. Once I was settled there, he pressed, “Are you sure?”

I nodded. “Yes. In fact, everything was better than okay. She’s beyond excited for me. Well, and for you, too, but mostly for me.”

“That’s great news. Is Cal cool with you staying longer?”

I didn’t want to tell Cash exactly what Cal had said because I thought it was a bit presumptuous. Instead, I answered, “Cal is more than okay with me staying longer. Besides, I was already working from home, so I can still take some time to answer emails while I’m here.”

Cash grinned. “Cool. Are you hungry?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I said, as I made the move to stand and sit at the chair on the opposite side of the table.

Cash’s arm tightened around my waist, holding me in place, as he used his other hand to pick up his fork and spear a strawberry with it. He brought the fork to my mouth.

“Open,” he said softly.

I parted my lips and Cash slid the fork inside. When my mouth closed around the fork, he pulled it back, leaving only the sweet fruit behind.

I chewed slowly as he watched.

Once I swallowed, he said, “I’m really glad you came here, Demi.”

“Me too,” I rasped.

He lifted another strawberry to my mouth. I opened my mouth, accepted it, and chewed again.

“Do you like pancakes?” he asked.

“Only if you’ve got syrup on them,” I answered.

He reached out, plucked a pancake off the stack at the center of the table, and set it on his plate. Then he drizzled syrup on it, used his fork to cut it, and brought a bite to my mouth.

Without needing any instruction, I parted my lips once more, and Cash slid the pancake in my mouth. Syrup ended up on my lip, so after I chewed and swallowed, I licked my lip. Cash’s fingers tightened at my hip, his focus never leaving my mouth.

“Kiss me,” he urged.

I didn’t hesitate. He was feeding me, and he was doing it in the most seductive way. Why would I not kiss him?

For more than an hour, Cash and I stayed there, eating breakfast, kissing, and teasing. It was, by far, the most erotic experience of my life.

I loved that Cash was the one to give it to me.

“Are you excited?” Cash asked.

“For the concert?” I retorted.

He laughed, reached his hand out to mine, and held it. “For the backstage pass,” he teased.

“Oh. Yeah. Of course,” I told him, doing my best not to freak out about the fact that Cash Morris was out in public with me holding my hand. “I’ve loved My Violent Heart for years, so this is definitely up there on my list of things I never thought I’d ever experience.”

“Good to know.”

It was a few hours after Cash and I had our pancake, syrup, and strawberry brunch, and we had just arrived back at the same venue My Violent Heart played at last night.

They were playing a second show tonight before they had a break. Apparently, they were planning to spend that break—or, at least, part of it—with each other because tomorrow afternoon, the entire band was going over to Cash’s place for a barbecue.

Cash led me down a long corridor, claiming we were heading toward his dressing room. When he came to a stop, I looked up at the door and saw his name on display.

Just as he put his hand on the doorknob so we could enter, the door for the room across from his opened.

“Yes!”

Cash and I spun around and found Holland there grinning at us. I had a feeling she was celebrating the fact that she not only saw me there with Cash but also that he was holding my hand.

“What’s going on?” Cash asked her.

Her face lit up. “You two are so adorable,” she beamed. Then she reached out, curled her fingers around my wrist, and ordered, “And considering I know that you’ve now had Demi in your presence for hours, I’m taking her into my dressing room for a bit.”

Cash’s grip on my hand tightened. “What?”

Holland rolled her eyes before she insisted, “It’s okay, Cash. I promise I’ll bring her back in a little bit.”

I looked up at Cash and smiled. He looked sad. “I’ll be back in a little bit,” I told him.

“Promise?” he asked.

I didn’t want to laugh, but I couldn’t help a small chortle from escaping. He looked like a guy who’d just lost his puppy.

“I promise.”

Accepting that, he pressed a kiss to my cheek before he let my hand go. Then Holland dragged me into her dressing room.

No sooner had she closed the door when we walked deeper into her dressing room and I saw a woman sitting on the couch.

“Demi, this is Sadie,” Holland introduced us. “She’s Beck’s younger sister and my best friend. Sadie, this is Demi. And I’m hoping she’s ready to spill all the details of her night with Cash.”

Sadie and I exchanged pleasantries and greetings. Holland walked over to the vanity where she’d set out all of her makeup when she started speaking again. “I’ve been dying to know how it went for you last night,” she began. “I thought I was going to lose my mind because Cash started talking about going out to celebrate how well we did. Of course, getting Roscoe or Killian to turn down a night out is like pulling teeth, so I had my work cut out for me.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” I lamented, hating that I’d put her in that position.

Holland shook her head. “It was nothing. I was happy to do it. Besides, it seems like it all worked out for you anyway,” she returned.

I nodded and smiled. “It did. Thank you for helping me facilitate this whole surprise.”

“It was so much fun,” she replied. “I liked that I had this little secret that I knew was going to just make Cash’s night. He’s been so different ever since our first trip to New Hampshire.”

This intrigued me. While Cash had said himself that he was a changed man, it was entirely possible that he was making it seem more drastic than it actually was. For Holland to be hinting at something similar, I thought it was a good thing.

“How so?” I asked.

She finished putting her eyeliner on, turned back to me, and thought a moment. “I don’t know,” she answered. “He’s just not the same, but I mean that in the best way possible. It’s been really nice to see him sort of change his mindset. Cash has always been like Roscoe, Killian, and even Beck when it comes to living the rock star lifestyle. For the guys, that comes with a lot of women.” I started to feel some uneasiness settle in my stomach as she paused a moment and shook her head. Then she continued, “Cash isn’t interested in that anymore. In fact, even if he was interested, apparently, it wasn’t possible for him to follow through.”

“What does that mean?” I questioned her.

She grinned at me. “He told us you broke his dick.”

I gasped. “What?”

Sadie burst out laughing. When she got it under control, she immediately lamented, “I’m sorry. It’s just that… well, I’ve known Cash a long time, and that was completely unexpected.”

Holland giggled, and while I was only slightly relieved she found this funny, which indicated it couldn’t be all bad, I was still very much alarmed.

“After we left New Hampshire, he was a mess,” she started. “Women flashed him or came up to him and grabbed his crotch. It did nothing for him, apparently. That’s the reason we came back to your hometown for our break. Cash needed to see you to make sure he wasn’t permanently damaged.”

Oh my God.

I did my best to ignore how it made me feel to hear that women were flashing Cash and grabbing his crotch and instead focused on the bottom line of what Holland shared. Cash wasn’t turned on by these women, and he believed I was the reason for that.

A coy smiled flashed across my face, and I shared, “Cash’s dick is not broken or even remotely damaged.”

Holland laughed. “I figured that much, which is why I told him we needed to go back to get you. He just needed to give his penis what it wanted, and that, my friend, was you.”

“I’m so happy for him,” Sadie added. “And I think it’s great that he’s settling down.”

That felt good to hear.

As Holland got back to her makeup, the three of us talked a bit more about how things had been for Cash over the last few weeks. Talking with them had really opened my eyes up to how horribly I’d judged Cash. Of course, they hadn’t hidden—neither had he, for that matter—what his life was like before I came along, but it was nice to know that there was far more to the man than what could be found online or in interviews.

Once Holland was done getting ready, she stood and declared, “Come on. It’s pre-show ritual for me to join the boys. We just have to figure out whose dressing room they’re in today.”

“Okay,” I agreed.

With that, we left Holland’s dressing room and didn’t need to search very hard. The noise coming from across the hall was enough of an indication of where the rest of the band was.

She knocked and cracked the door open. “Are we good?” she asked.

“All clear, Holls,” someone answered from inside.

Holland looked at me and said, “I entered without knocking once and saw more than I cared to see.”

Understanding dawned, so I nodded.

We walked inside, and the room instantly grew silent. My eyes went to Cash. His face lit up at the sight of me, and I started to feel all warm inside.

“Everything cool?” he asked.

Before I could answer, Holland did. “Oh, it’s fine, Cash,” she started. “What do you think I did to her?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Could be anything,” he replied.

Holland shook her head. “Nope. We were just discussing the fact that it’s a great thing your penis isn’t broken,” she said. “I’m so relieved for you.”

Cash dropped his head back and looked to the ceiling as the rest of the guys laughed. I didn’t know if I should, but I moved across the room toward him. I slid my arms around his waist and felt one of his slip around my back.

When his eyes came to mine, they were shining.

I felt incredible seeing him like this.

A moment later, he said, “Demi, I want you to meet the rest of the band.” I turned slightly in his hold and directed my attention to the remaining members. Then Cash said, “Demi, this is Beck, Roscoe, Walker, and Killian. Guys, this is Demi.”

“It’s nice to meet you all,” I said as I got similar responses and chin lifts in return.

When another knock came at the door just a few seconds later, everyone directed their attention there. Someone popped their head inside and said, “You’ve got fifteen.”

“Thanks, Raid,” Killian said.

“Hey, Raid,” Cash called.

The man I now knew as Raid peeked farther into the room and brought his attention to Cash. “Yeah?” he replied.

“This is my girl, Demi,” he started. “Demi, this is Raid. He’s Walker’s brother, and he’s our road and tour manager. He handles everything with regard to our stage set up, lighting, and a multitude of other things, including our tour schedule, accommodations, and travel plans. If you need anything while we’re on stage tonight, he can help you out. Right, Raid?”

Raid nodded. “You got it,” he confirmed.

With that, he backed out of the room and closed the door. The rest of the band fell into their own conversations. I turned back into Cash’s hold and squeezed my arms around his waist.

“I’m sorry,” I apologized.

“For what?” he returned.

I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing. When I thought I had it under control, I whispered, “I didn’t mean to make your cock stop working.”

His lips twitched. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but it worked just fine last night and earlier today, did it not?” he countered.

“It did,” I assured him.

“Good. Then let’s not bring this up again,” he begged.

I giggled and buried my face in his chest.

Cash brought his other arm around me and hugged me tightly.

I never felt happier in my life.