Fragile by A.K. Evans

Eighteen

Demi

“And here I thought this life was all glitz and glam for you.”

Cash looked up from where he was sitting on the couch in his great room with a pen and a notepad in his hands and smiled at me.

“Hey,” he returned as he set the notepad and pen down and held out his hand to me.

Just like that. No matter what he was doing, he dropped it all so he could hold me in his arms. I loved it.

Not wasting any time, I moved toward him and settled myself in his lap—something I’d learned rather quickly that Cash preferred. Truth be told, I didn’t mind it so much either.

It was late Sunday morning, and we were expecting his bandmates to arrive soon for the barbecue. We hadn’t woken up that long ago because we’d had another late night.

Following their incredible performance, which affected me much like the one the previous night had, we made our way backstage. There was a common area set up for the band that had a bunch of booze, food, and comfortable seating. Very comfortable seating.

Initially, I thought it was strange. After playing a show, I would have thought they’d want to head home and get some rest, especially considering they’d played two nights in a row.

That wasn’t the case.

And not more than a few minutes after we’d arrived backstage, the door to that room opened and a bunch of people had entered. Most of the people were women. It seemed My Violent Heart didn’t just give a backstage pass to the girlfriend of the lead singer. Passes were also given out to fans.

I understood that, and I guess I kind of already knew and expected it. But it definitely caught me off guard, and I certainly wasn’t prepared for it.

Things had started off innocently enough, especially because the fans were slightly cautious when they first entered. But the band was extraordinarily welcoming toward their fans; they always had been. Because of that, things quickly escalated from simple and innocent things, like pictures, autographs, and conversation to things that were much less virtuous, like excessive flirting, touching, and even kissing.

Luckily, Cash was incredible. He made me feel safe and comfortable, and beyond the pictures and autographs he offered for the fans, he kept his focus and attention on me the entire time.

But I’d have been lying if I didn’t admit to myself that I wondered how things went down with him when I wasn’t around. Would he be just as disinterested in the company in my absence as he was in my presence?

Unable to stop myself, I asked, “Do they ever come back?”

“Who?”

I jerked my head backward while directing my eyes toward the fans and said, “The groupies. Like after a show, do they ever come back with you guys to the hotels when you’re on the road?”

“Yes,” he answered.

Something tightened in my belly at his admission.

Cash must have known I was reacting to that information because his voice got gentle and he promised, “That’s not for me anymore, Demi. But I’m not going to lie and say that it hasn’t happened in the past. I’m with you right now, though, and I’m very happy.”

I nodded slowly, trying to indicate that I understood, but I still felt wary. I had a feeling I would for a long time.

“I promise you have nothing to worry about,” he added.

“Okay,” I replied because I didn’t know what else to say.

And considering he hadn’t given me any reason to doubt him, I had to at least take him at his word. Yes, I knew my jealousy wouldn’t just stop right there, but for now, I was with him, and he was being beyond attentive.

By the time we left and got back to his place, I’d forgotten all about my worries regarding that because the sexual tension between Cash and me was running high. It was a wonder we even made it back to his place before tearing our clothes off.

In fact, the drive back was a little spicy. I spent the vast majority of the drive with my mouth on his neck, his cheek, his jaw, and his ear while one of my hands massaged his inner thigh and occasionally gripped his cock.

We barely made it inside the house before we were clawing at each other’s clothes. I ended up losing another pair of panties in the process, too.

I loved the fire that blazed between us. There always seemed to be such passion and emotion bottled up on both sides that when we had the chance to be intimate with one another, we just ignited.

We eventually got to sleep, and once again, we slept in this morning. Shortly after we woke up and had something to eat, I told Cash I wanted to take some time to go through my emails for work. He didn’t seem to have any problems agreeing to give me that time and offered up a quiet space in his house to do it.

Now I was here, and I hadn’t expected to find him like he was.

“Why does it seem like you’re concentrating so hard?” I asked. “Isn’t today your day off? I feel like you work harder than your job implies.”

Cash laughed at me and asked, “What does that mean? What do you think my job is all about?”

“Having a lot of fun,” I guessed.

“Well, that’s certainly part of it,” he assured me.

“It’s exhausting,” I declared. “I don’t understand how you do this. Performing, traveling, and partying. It seems like you’re constantly on the go, even when you’re supposed to have some downtime.”

He peppered kisses on my bare shoulder for a few moments before he insisted, “It’s not that bad.”

“I’d hate to see what you define as a demanding schedule,” I mumbled. Directing my attention to the notepad on the table, I asked, “What are you doing now?”

“Right now, I’m trying to figure out if I can get a quickie in with you before everyone gets here,” he started. “Before you entered the room and sat your sweet ass in my lap, I was just working on a few lyrics.”

My eyes widened. “You’re writing a song?” I exclaimed.

Cash laughed and reminded me, “Not anymore.”

“Are you heading back into the studio to record a new album?” I wondered.

He shook his head. “No. Not yet anyway. In fact, I don’t typically work on lyrics or new music while we’re on tour, but sometimes, when the inspiration hits in moments of downtime, I can’t really ignore it. So, I’ll typically just jot down a few words so I have them there when we’re ready to start writing more.”

“That’s incredible. Can you sing what you just wrote for me?” I pressed.

“It’s not done yet,” he replied. “But once I finish it, I’ll sing it for you.”

“Promise?”

He nodded.

I sat there and stared at him, searching his face. It felt like he was doing the same, and I couldn’t quite work out what was happening between us. Even still, I knew we both had something running through our minds.

For me, it was still just a whole lot of disbelief that I was even here and had followed through on taking this step. While I still had some anxiety and reservations about whether this would turn out the way I wanted, I was thoroughly enjoying where we were right now.

“So, what do you think?” he asked.

“About what?”

“Do you think we can get a quickie in?”

I narrowed my eyes. “You’re insatiable,” I declared.

His hand on the arm that had been draped over my thighs began drifting up my abdomen toward my breasts. He made it there, gently cupped my breast, and stroked his thumb over my nipple. “And you’re far too tempting,” he countered.

“You can’t withstand temptation?” I asked.

“Being able to and wanting to are two very different things, firecracker,” he noted.

I began squirming in his lap because his thumb hadn’t stopped moving and his voice was doing very delicious things to me. It didn’t take long for me to feel Cash grow hard beneath my ass.

That was all it took. His voice, his hand on my breast, and his erection beneath me.

Before I knew it, I had shifted my body in his lap so that I was facing him. Cash didn’t waste any time. He lifted my shirt up and over my head. Then he buried his face between my breasts while both of his thumbs stroked over my nipples. I rolled my hips over him.

With little time to spare, he brought his hands to my waist, pulled on the waistband of my shorts, and urged me to lift my hips so he could pull them off. Once they were gone, he tore off his shirt and his bottoms before reaching for his wallet on the end table. Pulling out a condom, he immediately sheathed himself.

“Come here,” he encouraged softly.

I positioned myself over him. Cash captured my mouth, one of his hands going behind my head, the other going right between my legs. Two of his fingers slid through the wetness and gently rubbed me there. When his hand gripped my hair at the back of my head and tugged back, he plunged a finger inside my vagina and said, “You’re so wet, and I’ve barely touched you.”

“Cash,” I rasped, unable to get out anything more as I began riding his finger.

A second finger entered me, and his thumb pressed firmly against my clit.

My head flew back as I moaned and Cash’s free hand squeezed my breast. He gave me a few minutes to ride his fingers, and just as I thought he’d send me over the edge, he pulled them from between my legs, positioned himself, and urged my body down over his.

“You feel amazing, Demi. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to how incredible you feel,” Cash declared, his voice thick with emotion.

I dropped my head forward to look him in the eyes, and that’s when I realized the emotion wasn’t just evident in his voice. It was written all over his face.

Something profound was moving through Cash.

I would have thought that seeing it would have resulted in me being unable to move, but that wasn’t the case. I ended up planting my hands on his shoulders and riding him hard, my eyes never leaving his.

My fingertips pressed in deeper, my hips moved faster, and my breathing quickly grew labored.

I didn’t care that I was out of breath.

I didn’t care that my hips were starting to fatigue.

I wanted to do this.

I wanted to continue to do whatever it was that was making him look at me like that.

It was so intense, so powerful, that well before I wanted it to happen, I was just seconds away from climaxing.

“Baby,” I warned, one of my hands moving into his hair and landing at the back of his head.

Something new washed over him, his expression changing from what it had been to something much more intense.

I didn’t understand how that was even possible. And it wouldn’t have mattered if I wanted to figure it out because I couldn’t anyway.

Because a moment later, Cash groaned and said, “Come with me.”

That was all I needed. My body was completely overcome by the force of my orgasm, and for the first time since I’d made the connection with his gaze, I broke it. My eyes squeezed shut while my hand at the back of his head pulled him closer to me.

Cash didn’t waste the opportunity. With his face in my chest as we both went soaring, he captured my breast in his mouth and offered just a bit more sensation to my trembling body.

We both worked hard to get through our orgasms and to the other side, and when we did, Cash declared, “You’re in charge of quickies from now on.”

My body started shaking with laughter, but I couldn’t come up with a witty reply. I was too exhausted. Too sated. Too satisfied.

“You know I’m perfectly fine with keeping you right where you are all day long,” Cash stared, his fingers tracing gently up and down my spine. “But I need to know if I’m going to have to call everyone and postpone the cookout?”

The apple of my cheek was resting on his shoulder, and I knew I could easily stay like that forever. But at his question, I lifted my head so I could look at him.

Shaking my head, I answered, “No, I’ll be okay. I just need another minute.”

He grinned at me. “Okay.”

I ended up taking two or three minutes, but I eventually pulled myself together. Cash and I gathered up our clothes that were strewn all over the couch and floor, removing any evidence of our late morning romp, and went upstairs to clean up and get ready.

An hour later, things were in full swing. Not only had the entire band come over to Cash’s place but so did the rest of their crew from the roadies to personal security and even some guests for those guests. Beck brought his sister along, two of the roadies had brought their girlfriends, and a few others just brought some friends.

I’d met more people who ran in Cash’s circle, and I appreciated that he took the time to introduce me to those he spent time with. From the start, he’d been very open with everything and easily and seamlessly brought me into the fold. I liked that he was taking the time to let those around him know that I was somebody in his life that was important enough to him for them to know.

For a while, it was all about good food, great conversation, and simply kicking back and relaxing.

Assuming I hadn’t prepared for this, Holland even came up and handed me a swimsuit. “I brought over one of mine for you to wear because I figured you didn’t pack one,” she said. “We can lay out, catch some sun, and even go for a dip. Everyone else will eventually join in.”

“Thanks,” I replied, taking the suit from her.

On my way back inside the house to change into it, Cash stopped me and asked, “Where are you going?”

I held up the suit and explained, “Holland brought me a bathing suit.”

Cash tipped his head to the side. “Is it a two-piece?” he asked.

I took the top in one hand and the bottom in the other before I replied, “It would seem so.”

Cash groaned. “Great. Now what am I going to do?”

“About what?”

“About the fact that I already have a hard enough time keeping my hands off of you without you being half naked. Do you know what this is going to do to me?”

I smiled and said, “Look on the bright side.”

“Which is?”

Leaning in close, I whispered, “You’ll have more proof that everything down below is still functioning as it should.”

Cash narrowed his eyes on me.

Ignoring his attempt at intimidation, I suggested, “You know, you could always throw on a pair of swim trunks and join me.”

With that, I didn’t stick around for a response. I went inside and got myself changed. Cash did not put on swim trunks. Or, at least, he didn’t do it immediately. Holland and I laid out on the loungers by the pool, and for a while, nobody else made any moves to join us. Eventually, Sadie came up and grabbed a lounger beside us, and it remained the three of us the entire time. But not long after we went for a dip in the pool and started splashing, the others joined us.

For hours, we had a blast, and I had to admit how much I loved that these people, Cash’s people, had accepted me like one of their own.

In fact, they’d done it so well that they didn’t even realize that it could possibly be painful. Hours after everyone had arrived, I had gotten out of the pool and moved to the table set up with food on it for a snack. As I stood there loading up a plate with goodies, Walker came up to the table to grab some food as well.

“Hey,” I greeted him.

“Hey,” he returned. “Having fun?”

I nodded. “I was just telling Cash earlier this morning that I don’t know where you guys all get your stamina from. This is exhausting work.”

Walker laughed and said, “You do it enough, you get used to it.”

“I guess so. I’m going to have to work on it,” I told him.

“Are you coming along?” he asked.

“Coming along?” I repeated.

Walker nodded. “On the rest of the tour,” he clarified. “We’re leaving again on Tuesday afternoon. I can’t imagine how Cash will manage without you there.”

The minute the words were out of his mouth, I felt my stomach clench. I wanted to focus on the fact that what Walker was saying should have been a good thing. He believed Cash would be better off having me with him. But as much as I wanted to concentrate on the positive, I couldn’t. Time with Cash was running out.

“Shit,” Walker hissed.

“What?” I asked, feeling worried.

“He didn’t ask you, did he?”

I gave him a slight shake of my head. “I couldn’t go anyway,” I told him, hoping that eased any of the guilt he clearly felt. “It’s just… I’ve been trying to avoid thinking about having to go home.”

Walker gave me a nod of understanding and lamented, “Sorry.”

“It’s okay. You didn’t know.”

At that, I took my plate and walked away, even though I was no longer hungry. I sat down and tried to eat, but I struggled.

It was Sunday evening. I had to leave on Tuesday morning because Cash was leaving Tuesday afternoon.

I didn’t know how I was going to cope without him for more than two months.