Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 67227 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 336(@200wpm)___ 269(@250wpm)___ 224(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67227 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 336(@200wpm)___ 269(@250wpm)___ 224(@300wpm)
“I meant what I said. You’re better than me, Cass. You don’t need new clothes to make a point. But since I know you’ll feel better if you go shopping, use my credit card. It’s a business expense,” he said before she could argue.
He slid his hand into his pocket, pulled out his wallet, and placed a black card on the credenza. “Call me if they give you a hard time.”
He started for the door and she couldn’t hold it in. “Dash?”
“Yeah?”
What could she say? Why did you kiss me when there was no one watching?
He was confusing her and she needed space to build her walls.
She shook her head. “Never mind. It’s nothing.”
He narrowed his gaze, studying her. “I don’t want to rush and fuck things up again. I’ll be in touch, Cass.”
And with that disconcerting statement, he turned and walked out the door.
She shook off his words and went looking for her cell, dialing her best friend, a woman who knew how to do glam better than anyone Cassidy knew.
When it came to his new girlfriend, Dash was in the for the shock of a lifetime.
* * *
Dash stepped outside and shut Cassidy’s door, uncertainty nagging him as he headed to his car parked on the street in front of her house. All he could think about were those sweet lips tipped upward, her eyes half-mast, her lashes dark against her pale skin. And her taste? He’d be attempting to put those feelings into lyrics and then to music because it had been too beautiful not to memorialize in song.
But the physical was easy. He ought to know, with how many women he’d had in his bed. None of them had mattered.
Cassidy did and he needed her to know that he wasn’t jumping in because she was another easy body available to him. He needed to show her he was in.
Dash ran a hand through his hair as he climbed into his car and began his short ride home. Proving himself to Cassidy began with backing her up when his team overstepped. Dash was livid with his manager for how he’d treated Cass. As for Naomi, though she meant well, she’d handled things wrong, too. He’d let them both know it when he’d walked them to the town car they’d shared for the ride from the city. A driver had waited for them in the air-conditioned vehicle, of course.
Dash would be damned if he’d let Dean throw his weight around in an attempt to intimidate Cassidy because he didn’t like a decision Dash had made or the woman he’d chosen. His manager was a publicity hound, and he didn’t care what form the mention came in as long as the band was on someone’s radar. Anything that kept them relevant and made him and the studio money. At one time, Dash hadn’t cared about interview content either, but his views had changed, and Dean needed to respect Dash’s decisions. More importantly, he had to respect Cassidy.
He pulled into his driveaway, climbed out of the car and walked inside, not surprised to find Axel waiting for him when he entered through the front door.
He’d been in the kitchen making a smoothie when Xander had called with the news his manager and publicist were at Cassidy’s. And Dash had been stupid enough to put his phone on speaker.
He was just lucky Axel hadn’t gone with him. The man would have figured out Dash was interested in his sister, and that could only lead to trouble.
“Hey.” Dash tossed his keys into a metal dish he kept on the credenza.
“How’d it go?” Axel folded his arms across his chest.
If anyone could understand being protective of a sister, it was Dash. He’d be just as worked up if anyone had gone after Chloe or Aurora.
“Dean was being an asshole,” Dash said. “I handled it, but for what it’s worth, Cassidy had it under control before I walked in. She wasn’t taking his shit, and that should make it easier for her to deal with him going forward. He won’t think he can push her around.”
Axel nodded, pride in his gaze. “That’s Cass. Never did let people tell her what to do. But I don’t like the fact that she’s involved in your personal life.”
“So you’ve said but I suggest you get used to it.” Dash had no intention of explaining that his personal feelings were involved.
Axel narrowed his gaze but treated Dash to a curt nod, which he took to mean the other man wouldn’t cause trouble within the band, but he’d keep an eye on Dash when it came to his sister.
Fair enough.
“Ready to head to rehearsal?” Dash asked. They’d be spending the rest of the day in his soundproof studio going over the tracks they’d be singing at Sunday night’s performance.
Axel pulled his drumsticks from his back pocket. “We’ve got a show to do.”