The Bass

by Moira Callahan

Shade paced around the property while he waited for notification that Cateline had arrived. It was finally Friday again. Too long since he’d held her in his arms, and had her in his bed. While he hated only having her on weekends, it made sense for her to stay at her place during the week. It cut down her commute to work each morning. Not that it made him happy in the least.

  His phone vibrated in his pocket. Pulling it out, he let out a breath before heading to the parking area to meet his girl. She was later than normal, but that was fine. They still had an hour before they had to be over at Jeremy’s for dinner. Giving her time for a shower and some cuddle time.

  Stepping up to her car door he tugged it open with a smile. “Hello, kitten.”

  Her smile warmed him from the inside out. The fact she threw her arms around him for a kiss and a hug stoked that heat to something more. Nibbling on her lips, he pressed his nose to her hair to breathe her in. “How was work?” he asked when they were on the pathway to his place.

  “Busy,” she said. “Lori’s little boy was sick which meant she couldn’t come in today. But it sounds like it’s some sniffles like the kids pass around. He’ll be fine in no time, I’m sure.”

  Shade had to think for a moment before the name clicked. “Your assistant, right?” Her nod had him doing a mental fist pump.

  “She sounded harried when I talked to her first thing. But it was pointless having her come in when she’d only have to shell out for a babysitter. Had I known that Simon’s latest deal would blow up on him, I would have offered to pay for the sitter personally. We were all running around, putting the fires out for hours, but we got it done, and hopefully it can proceed without any other problems arising.”

  Letting them into the house, he shut the door, dropped her bag, and hauled her into his arms. “I missed you,” he said softly.

  She squeezed her arms around his middle, and shifted to press a kiss to his neck. “I missed you as well. I love our talks each night, but it sucks going to bed without you.”

  If not for the fact he was leaving in less than a month for a four month tour he’d have maybe tried to talk her into moving in with him. “I know, kitten. I feel the same way. If I could figure out a way, I’d kidnap you from your life and keep you with me at all times.”

  He felt her smile against his neck. “Would you tie me up?” she asked softly.

  Since they’d started experimenting with bondage during her visits the last two weeks, he had a crystal clear image for reference. “Fuck yeah. With those scarves you like. I’d keep you naked, too.” The shiver she gave had him tightening his hold around her. “You approve.”

  “Damn straight I approve. You do the most delicious things to me when you have me at your mercy.” Cat leaned her head back to look up at him. “Kiss me, please.”

  “I love you all polite, and proper,” he teased. Lowering his head, he gave her a slow, deep kiss. Her tongue slid along his, pulling a moan from his chest. Shade tightened his arms around her before dropping a hand to her ass. A squeeze had her pushing up to her toes, and her arms winding around his neck to draw him in closer.

  When they broke the kiss for some much needed air, Shade watched her under lowered lashes. “You are fucking beautiful, kitten.” Right on cue, her cheeks flushed with color. He loved seeing the color in her cheeks.

  Chuckling, he gave her ass another squeeze before slapping her lightly. He feigned a shocked look when she stared open-mouthed at him, and then burst out laughing when she poked his middle. “Let’s get you fed, and you can tell me what you’ve decided to do with Simon’s offer.”

  Cat pulled a face, but took his hand to let him lead her into the kitchen. After setting her up on a stool by the offshoot countertop that acted as his breakfast bar, he grabbed her a glass filled with wine. Since she was staying put for the night, and the entire weekend, he didn’t have to worry about her driving under the influence.

  “What’s for dinner tonight?” she asked after taking a small sip from her glass.

  “Stuffed pork chops, baby carrots and peas, and garlic mashed potatoes with gravy. For dessert I dusted off all my skills to make a pie. Haven’t had to do one since home economics in junior high. We know how that one turned out.”

  “I’ll admit the first one wasn’t great, but you did get better. By the fourth one they were actually semi edible. Even our teacher made a point of telling everyone that if you recall.”

  “Ha, ha,” he said then stuck his tongue out. “I’ve had some practice since then, you’ll be happy to hear. Not that I get much time to practice with us on the road all the time, but when I’m here I do tend to go on a small rampage with the cooking, and baking.”

  He quickly checked on the pork chops before he walked around the counter to sit on another stool. “Are you going to finally talk to me about this?”

  Cateline slowly twirled her glass by the stem. “There are definitely a few pros. It would allow me to use the degree I have, although I will likely need to do a few courses to get up to date. Nothing I’d exactly call a big deal. It’ll definitely have different responsibilities I’ll oversee. Again not a big deal in the grand scheme, considering what I’ve been doing for Simon all these years. The cons are what bother me the most.”

  “Okay, talk to me about the cons.” He liked the idea she’d finally be using her degree in business. She’d told him during their last few weeks together that she’d gone to college for a degree in psychology, with a minor in business since it made the most sense. Simon had talked to her during her review about shifting into an assistant manager position. Down the road there would be potential to take over the manager’s position in the department when the current head retired in the next couple years.

  Shade agreed with Simon on several points, mainly she was being underutilized in her P.A. position. Cat disagreed. She loved the job when she didn’t feel like killing her boss, and it provided her with something new each and every single day.

  “The biggest one is that there would be travel involved,” she told him. “Because he wants me to consider sliding into the acquisitions department, it would mean travelling a lot initially while I learned the ropes. I would need to fly out to meet his various real estate agents in the different cities to see what they have. If it’s something Simon wants, or would be a good fit, then he’d come out for the final say. Which means I would not be home all that much. In time as I learn the job better, that would change. But he says there would be two years at least where I’m home less than I’m away. It’s also not all within the continental U.S. either, Shade. There would be international travel involved. We would see each other less than we do now.”

  “Fuck me,” he muttered. Shade definitely wasn’t feeling all that happy with her boss now. He’d been thrilled to hear she’d been offered what amounted to a huge promotion, and pay raise. Now he could happily strangle the asshole.

  “Yeah,” she said. Looking to him, she let out a sad-sounding sigh. “The challenges and the travel are great in concept. Seeing less of you than I do now is not sitting well with me. We’ve only recently reconnected and his proposal is like an acidic lump in my gut when I think too hard about it.”

  “When does he want an answer from you?”

  She frowned slightly while giving him an odd look. “Not until after we return from the holidays. Simon told me to take the next couple months to look into the position when I had time, and to think it through fully.”

  Shade nodded slowly while his mind spun. “Why don’t you take the two weeks over Christmas, and come to meet me and the band? Take it as a break from life, and see the sights, enjoy yourself. We will party, we’ll be tourists, and we’ll sleep late each day before going to find somewhere to get decent coffee each morning. It will give you a chance to step back from the day to day, and evaluate where you are at.”

  Cat slowly nodded, and then turned her face to press a soft kiss to his palm. “I think I will. You might be right, I may need something different to rattle things loose.
Tomorrow I’ll get online and see about flights. Since you’ll know where you’re going to be we can organize it to ensure that we both end up in the same place.”

  “Now that,” he said tapping her nose lightly. “Sounds like a plan.” Leaning in, he pressed a kiss to her lips before going to dish up their meal. If he was lucky maybe she’d find she enjoyed the life on the road. He’d prefer to have her with him, by his side for the journey, taking each step together. But Shade knew that the rocker life wasn’t for everyone.

  He set her plate before her he poured her more wine, and then got himself a glass. Once he settled at her side, he gave her another kiss, and waited for her to take a bite from the meal. At her happy moan he grinned, and dug into his own meal.

  While he’d never pressure her to choose him over her own life, he had to figure out a way to balance their lives. Between them he was sure they could find what worked for them. Because there was no way in hell he was ever letting Cateline Lyon go again. He’d lost her once, and those scars still burned harshly in a silent reminder.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Saturday morning was a bit gloomy on the weather front. The muted light coming through the windows had Cateline snuggling in closer to the warm male body next to her. Shade was still sound asleep, but his arm tightened slightly around her in a silent reprimand to stay still. Smiling, she brushed a kiss to sleeping kitten tattoo on his chest, and then rested her cheek to the spot over his heart.

  The sounds of the rain hitting the window pane, and his heart beating, slow and steady under her ear began to lull her back into a light doze. She could definitely get used to spending mornings like this with him. It would suck when he left the country. Cat knew it would be the first test for them. She’d lived without Shade for too many years already. She didn’t know if she could handle not having his arms around her each night in the coming years.

  Slipping her arm around his waist, Cat breathed in the scent that belonged to her sexy rocker. She’d have to see about stealing a couple shirts to tide her by when he headed off. Or maybe his pillow. Not like he’d miss it or his shirts while he was on the road.

  She must have finally dozed back off because when she next opened her eyes, there was muted light straining to get into the room. Lifting her arms over her head, she had a lazy stretch before kissing Shade’s chest, and wiggled free from his hold. He grumbled and tried to drag her back.

  “I have to pee, babe. Trust me on this one; you don’t want to go squeezing me now.”

  His lips twitched slightly at her words. He also let her loose. Scrambling off the bed, she made a mad dash for the bathroom. When she was done Cat returned to the bedroom to find Shade on his stomach, tightly holding the pillow she’d slept on.

  She couldn’t stop the smile if she’d wanted to. Which she didn’t. Grabbing a t-shirt from the drawer, she tugged it on. Since it fell practically to her knees she didn’t worry about putting anything else on underneath before heading to the kitchen.

  Some coffee was needed, and maybe she’d get started on breakfast. The time on the clock had her changing that idea to brunch. Not like they had any plans today beyond being together. Shade had mentioned going for a drive, but it wasn’t something set in stone.

  After she got the coffee going, she pulled out the items to make up an omelette. She snagged the sausages too, and got those cooking while she chopped some vegetables. Humming softly under her breath while she worked, Cat smiled suddenly. Shade was in the room.

  Her internal radar gave the alert which meant she didn’t hit the ceiling when his arms slid around her waist. The heat along her back from where his body pressed to hers had all her feminine parts sighing in pleasure. “Sleep well?” she asked setting the knife aside. Turning to face him, Cat slipped her arms around his waist.

  “I thought you were going to the bathroom.”

  “I did, and then my belly started to make noises. Figured it was a good idea to feed the beast before it went full on Cujo.” Rubbing her nose to his bare chest, Cat tightened her arms around him not surprised when he returned the favor.

  “It does get temperamental when denied sustenance too long.”

  “Now there’s an understatement.” Leaning her head back with a laugh, she looked up into his pretty brown eyes. “Pretty sure my gut could audition for a role in a monster movie, and beat out all the competition without issue.”

  “Don’t know about that. There are some CGI beasts that are pretty fierce.”

  Cat let out a laugh. “You may have a point there. But I’m fairly certain I could at least give them a run for their money.” Her gut chose that moment to show Shade what it could do, and embarrass her in the process. Pressing her hand to her belly, she didn’t know what to say then.

  Shade shook his head slowly. “Jesus, kitten.” Moving his hands to cup her cheeks, he leaned in to kiss her gently.

  “I do believe an ‘I told you so’ fits here.” With a grin she pointed him to the stove. “Go keep an eye on the sausages. I’ll get the omelettes started in the meantime.”

  Shade let her slip around him. Happy on a level she didn’t know how to explain, Cat threw the vegetables into the small pan to cook up while she beat the eggs into submission. Humming to herself once more she checked the sausages’ progress before pouring the eggs into the largest frying pan she had heated on the stove.

  Ten minutes later they were sitting down to enjoy the meal side by side. She loved any time she had with Shade, but the quiet moments sitting together were among her favorite. Whether over a meal, watching a movie, or each reading a book, the silences were comfortable. Cat never felt the need to fill those moments with words. They didn’t need to be filled.

  After breakfast, they got dressed and headed out. Shade still wanted to go for that drive. She was game to go, anything to spend more time with him. They almost made it to his truck, but were stopped by a shout.

  Turning, she spotted Jennifer jogging their way. The woman blew out a breath when she reached them, and held up a finger while she sucked in some air.

  “You okay, Jen?” Shade asked with a grin.

  The other woman nodded, and rolled her eyes. “This is why I don’t run,” she muttered. “Lance tried giving you a call earlier, but you were obviously otherwise occupied.”

  Cat’s grin likely matched Shade’s. He gave a shrug. “I only have a short amount of time with my girl. No way am I wasting a single second.”

  “Totally get that,” Jennifer said. “The point is, Christine’s called a meeting for tomorrow at lunch. She’ll be at Jeremy’s to update us on everything for the coming tour. She wants your input along with the others before she sets everything in motion to finalize whatever she’s potentially got going on.”

  Shade didn’t look happy at the news. “We were planning to be at Jeremy’s for lunch tomorrow anyway,” Cat said. She slipped her arm through his, and gave his bicep a squeeze with her fingers. “It will be nice to see Christine again too.”

  “I suppose.” Blowing out a breath, Shade nodded. “Better to do it all now. I need to make sure she’s not going to fuck up my plans for us over Christmas.”

  She smiled up at him, and gave his arm another squeeze. “Now you’re thinking this through. No way am I letting her muck up whatever it is you have planned. You are going to tell me eventually right?”

  Shade smiled. “We’ll see you all tomorrow, Jennifer.”

  “Have fun you two. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t,” the other woman called. With a laugh, she headed back toward Lance’s home.

  Shaking his head, Shade tugged her to his truck, and then helped her up into the passenger seat. “Are you planning on telling me what you’ve cooked up for our Christmas?” she asked once he was seated next to her.

  “Where would the fun be in that, kitten?”

  He had a point there, and she did like his surprises. With others, she was not a fan, but Cateline trusted Shade like no other. Didn’t mean she was going to let him off the hook with t
he easy answer. “Well how else will I know what to bring along? I mean do I bring the lingerie set I’ve been eyeing up at my favorite shop, or do I bring full winter gear? A girl needs to have some idea of what she’s getting into. I need to be properly prepared for your master plans.”

  With a wave to the guards, they slipped off the property, and onto the street. She watched Shade while he drove. She could tell he was weighing his answer carefully. Never one to give away too much information, she knew whatever he said would be only enough and nothing more.

  “Lingerie, hell yeah. Full winter gear is likely unnecessary, though I would bring a winter jacket, and perhaps mittens. It can get chilly in Paris during the winter months. Other than that, bring what seems appropriate. Anything special I will ensure you have.”

  Which told her next to nothing about his plans. “Well that’s not helpful in the least, Shade.”

  “I know.” The smug little smirk he shot her made her want to kiss him silly. He knew how to keep her guessing, she’d give him that. Folding her arms over her chest, Cat narrowed her gaze on his profile. He shot a look her way, and then reached over to brush his knuckles to her cheek. “Don’t be mad, kitten. I swear to you that you’ll love what I have planned. This is my way to make up for all the Christmases we weren’t together these past years. Let me have a little fun doing it.”

  When he put it that way it made her seem churlish for putting up stink about it. Sighing, she caught his hand to press a kiss to his knuckles. “Promise me that in your planning you’ll leave me a day to do the same for you then.”

  His smile was her reward for asking. “Always, kitten. I will make sure that you have a day to spoil me like I plan to spoil you.”

  Resting their joined hands on her thigh she dropped her head to the headrest. She’d known he’d agree to her request. Now all she had to do was figure out what the fuck she was going to do. She had a feeling it was easier said than done.

  Chapter Fourteen