Fragile (Rock Stars & Romance Book 1)

by A. K. Evans

  It was Saturday night, and I was at work. Things were particularly busy for me because there was a wedding being held in our grand ballroom tonight. Of course, as the person in charge of the wedding, Sam had everything under control. But it was par for the course that there was always just a bit of a heavier workload for me on nights when there was a wedding. Many guests booked rooms at the hotel so they could enjoy the open bar at the wedding without the worry of having to drive home intoxicated.

  I didn’t mind the busier nights. In fact, unless something crazy happened, I enjoyed the faster pace. It made the time pass quickly.

  But right now, it seemed there was a lull in the typical demands for a night like tonight. Maybe that was because Sam was on top of her shit and had a wedding party with guests who weren’t completely crazy, or maybe it was just my luck.

  “Can I help you?” I asked Cash.

  He shook his head. “These are for you,” he declared, sliding his hand forward on the counter.

  When he removed his hand from the reception desk, I looked down to see what he was giving me.

  No way.

  “What is this?” I asked, even though I was certain I already knew precisely what I was staring at.

  “Two tickets for you and a friend to tomorrow night’s show,” he answered.

  “I didn’t ask for tickets,” I told him.

  He grinned. “I know that. But I’d love to see you there, so I’m giving them to you,” he explained.

  Damn.

  In any other situation, I would have loved to go to see My Violent Heart play a live show. This situation was anything but ordinary. I mean, the front man for the band was interested in getting in my pants.

  I knew I wasn’t making that up in my head either. Cash made it clear what he was after, what with his wicked smile and flirtatious persona.

  Sadly for him, I had no intentions of giving in to what he wanted. He could play this game without me.

  When I spent too long thinking about all of this, Cash asked, “Do you not like our music?”

  “What? No, I never said that,” I replied. I might not have liked his demeanor, but that didn’t mean I’d lie about his band and their talent.

  “So, you do like us?” he pressed.

  “I enjoy the music,” I corrected him. Then, because I wanted to really stick it to him, I decided to add some fuel to the fire. “Holland seems cool, though. And I don’t know… Killian can play a guitar like I’ve never seen before. I can only imagine the things that man can do with his fingers.”

  Cash narrowed his eyes on me. He looked about ready to murder me if given the chance.

  Serves him right for not backing off.

  But no sooner had the murderous expression formed on his face when it was gone. It was replaced by a smirk.

  “What’s that look for?” I asked, feeling less than amused.

  “You like me,” he declared.

  “What, in all that I just said, gave you that impression?” I retorted.

  “The fact that you’re trying to make me jealous tells me you like me, and you’re now doing everything you can to avoid dealing with how I make you feel,” he explained.

  Damn it.

  I needed to get away from this guy before I went against everything I’d been doing all my life to protect myself. How much torture could a woman take?

  Not that I’d ever tell him this, but Cash was beyond sexy. He had the whole rock star vibe going for him with his jeans, leather jackets, and silver rings. His body was phenomenal, something I knew from seeing pictures of him online. He also had a voice that was meant for making music.

  I could only imagine how it would sound to hear him in bed.

  Shit.

  What was I thinking?

  Get your head screwed on straight, Demi.

  “Don’t you have somewhere to be tonight?” I asked.

  “Nope.”

  “What? You’re telling me that there wasn’t a single groupie from your show last night that wanted you to rock her world?” I questioned him.

  Cash tipped his head to the side. “Would that have made you jealous?” he wondered. “Do you wish it was you whose world I was rocking?”

  “Fuck no.”

  The asshole smiled at me.

  He didn’t believe a word that was coming out of my mouth. And even though there was some small, stupid part of me that was wishing I could have one night with Cash, there was the much larger and smarter part of me that knew I’d never give him a one-night stand.

  That would surely ruin me, even if I went into it expecting it to only be one night.

  There was no doubt in my mind, especially with his level of experience and his confidence, that Cash would be a great lay. The problem was that a woman like me would want far more than just one night. And men like Cash didn’t know how to commit and remain faithful.

  He was hot.

  He was tempting.

  But he was a man I planned to stay very far away from.

  “That’s a lot of anger for someone who claims to not have any feelings for me,” Cash pointed out.

  Narrowing my eyes on him, I lowered my voice and seethed, “Oh, I’ve got plenty of feelings about you, Cash. Unfortunately for you, none of my feelings lead me to wanting to be your fuck toy for a night before you move on to the next town and the next groupie.”

  “Maybe you’ll rock my world and I won’t want another groupie,” he reasoned.

  I wanted to burst out laughing. He didn’t honestly believe that, but man, was he smooth.

  “Do you think I’m stupid?” I asked.

  He shook his head and leaned closer. His voice dropped a couple octaves, and he said, “Quite the opposite, Demi. I think you’re probably the smartest woman I’ve encountered on this tour. And you’re definitely the sexiest.”

  I cocked an eyebrow.

  “You should go,” I suggested.

  “You know what room I’m staying in,” he offered before giving me a wink and moving toward the elevator.

  “Hey!” I called out.

  He stopped, turned around, and came back. “Change your mind already?” he asked.

  I stared him straight in the eye and deadpanned, “Nope. You forgot your tickets.” Then I pushed them back across the counter.

  He put his hand on top of mine without losing eye contact and slid my hand backward. “They’re yours,” he stated.

  “I don’t want them.”

  “Do you have a boyfriend?”

  Yeah, right. Like that was ever going to happen.

  I shook my head.

  Cash assessed me a moment and said, “Keep them. Maybe you’ll change your mind.”

  “I won’t,” I promised.

  Without another word, he simply smiled and walked away. Before he even made it to the elevator, he was stopped by two women. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but it was clear to see they were beyond thrilled that they’d just run into Cash.

  One of the women ran up to me and asked, “Can I borrow a pen please?”

  I wanted to roll my eyes. Handing the pen over, I could see the other woman was already taking a selfie with Cash.

  No thanks.

  After signing autographs for the women, they giggled their way out of the hotel doors.

  Cash looked at me and shouted, “Good night, Demi. I’ll be in my room all night.”

  I wanted to tell him to go fuck himself, but I didn’t think it was a good look for the hotel. Instead, I ignored him and got back to work.

  Luckily, things picked up after Cash walked away, and I only spent half of the remaining time I was at work thinking about him.

  Three

  Cash

  Beck pushed the button for the main lobby, and I watched as the bulbs lit up indicating our descent.

  This weekend hadn’t gone anything like I thought it would.

  Actually, that’s not entirely true.

  I had suspected we’d have two great shows here in New Hampshire. We
had. The crowds were incredible, and the vibe both nights were killer. But not long after I’d arrived here last Thursday, I had expected that not only would we have incredible shows, but that I’d also have a great time with the woman I saw the moment we entered this hotel.

  Demi.

  I didn’t know what it was about her, but I’d never, never, been so distracted by a woman before her. In the beginning, part of me liked this challenge with her. She was gorgeous, but she was feisty. She talked back. She didn’t take anybody’s shit. The woman could make my dick hard with just one look or wise-ass comment.

  Unfortunately, it was now Monday morning, the shows were over, and we were checking out to head to our next location.

  To say I was disappointed would have been an understatement. And that was something I never expected I’d say when it was time to leave this small town.

  The elevator came to a stop and the doors opened. Beck and I stepped out.

  As we started walking toward the lobby, he asked, “You want me to handle the check-out?”

  My eyes shifted toward the reception desk. Demi was there. I should have told Beck to take the lead. It was obvious she wasn’t interested, but I wanted to take one last shot.

  Shaking my head as I returned my attention to Beck, I replied, “No, that’s alright. I’ll take care of it.”

  He jerked his chin up and said, “Good luck, man.”

  “Yeah. Thanks.”

  Beck knew I’d had a bit of a thing for Demi. He had been just as shocked as I was that Demi didn’t seem interested.

  Walking up to the front desk as Beck moved toward the exit to meet the rest of the crew outside, my eyes remained focused on Demi.

  “Checking out?” she asked.

  I nodded and placed the room keys on the desk. “Yes.”

  Demi took the key cards, but something strange washed over her face. I didn’t know what it was, and before I could really take the opportunity to dissect it, it was gone.

  I hated the fact that I had to leave the first woman who made me feel this way without so much as a phone number. Figuring this was my last chance, I decided to try one last time.

  “I missed seeing you at the show last night,” I told her, doing my best to remain nonchalant.

  “That’s because I didn’t go,” she replied. “I told you I wasn’t going to come.”

  “I thought maybe you were bluffing. I can’t believe you didn’t use those tickets I gave you,” I said.

  “Well, they didn’t go to waste,” she reasoned.

  Confusion washed over me. What was that supposed to mean?

  “What?” I asked.

  “Your tickets were used, Cash,” Demi assured me. Then a devilish grin formed on her face. It nearly knocked me on my ass. “I gave them to your selfie-taking, autograph-requesting groupies from earlier in the evening. They were ecstatic.”

  I wanted to laugh. How this woman managed to infuriate me while also making me want to strip her naked was a complete mystery to me.

  She had no issue denying me in any way that she could. And damn if that didn’t make her seem that much more appealing.

  As she worked at the computer in front of her, I asked, “So, I’ve got to make one last-ditch effort here. What are the chances of me walking out of here with your number?”

  There wasn’t an ounce of hesitation in her voice when she responded, “Zero.”

  “Ouch.”

  “What would be the point in doing that anyway?” she questioned me.

  I’d take that. Demi did her very best to indicate she wasn’t even remotely interested in me, but if that were truly the case, she wouldn’t have asked me this follow-up question.

  “What do you mean? The point of exchanging phone numbers is so that two people can communicate with one another when they aren’t around each other,” I explained even though I had a feeling that wasn’t the answer she was looking for.

  Demi rolled her eyes at me. “I know what a phone is used for, Cash,” she insisted. Fuck, I loved hearing her say my name. “What I’m saying is that I don’t understand what the point is in me giving you my number when you’re leaving and never coming back here.”

  “I didn’t say I was never coming back. Plus, I can promise you that if I had something waiting for me to come back to, I’d definitely make the trip. There’s no doubt I’d come back for you.”

  Shooting me a look of disbelief, Demi insisted, “I’m sure that’s what you tell all the women who work at the hotels you stay at.”

  “I don’t.”

  Her expression didn’t change. If anything, Demi only seemed to grow more leery of me. “Why do I have a hard time believing that?” she asked.

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s the truth, though.”

  I waited for her to respond, but she didn’t say anything.

  “So that’s it then?” I asked.

  “That’s it.”

  Not wanting to walk away from her, but knowing I had to, I took one last long look at her before I said, “Well, take care of yourself, Demi.”

  She gave me a simple nod and returned, “You, too. Good luck with the rest of your tour.”

  “Yeah. Thanks.”

  With that, I turned and walked to the front door. Normally, having someone wish me luck with our tour would have left me feeling good. This time it didn’t. Because while I stepped out into the morning sun, trying to come to terms with the fact that Demi wasn’t interested, I silently wondered how the remainder of the tour would be for me.

  Sure, I knew I’d be able to move on to the next location and pick up a woman with a simple snap of my fingers if I wanted to. The problem was, I had a feeling I wasn’t so easily going to forget the one who stood behind that reception desk in this hotel and didn’t take an ounce of my shit.

  Demi

  “Enjoy the remainder of your stay.”

  That came from one of my staff members, Izzy. She just finished checking in a hotel guest, and I had just gotten back to the front desk after a meeting with my kitchen staff.

  The moment the guest had taken off, Izzy looked in my direction and said, “Hey, Demi. Everything okay?”

  Nodding, I confirmed, “Yes, it’s all good. I just finished my meeting with the kitchen staff. I wanted to let you know that I’ll be heading into the back to work on some budget stuff. I know you can handle just about anything out here, but if you need me, that’s where I’ll be.”

  “Sure. I’ve got it covered.”

  “Thanks.”

  With that, I made my way back to my office and sat down at my desk.

  I wanted to laugh. It wasn’t going to be my desk for much longer.

  It was now Wednesday, and I’d just officially done it. I submitted my two-week notice. I was finally leaving this job.

  The truth was, I couldn’t take it much longer. The day Chasey had come in and the whole staff got to witness her heartbreak, I sort of lost it. Sam and I had gone to Cal’s bar, Granite, that night. I begged him for a job.

  After spending entirely too long now working at a place that was bringing me such heartache, I decided it was time to do something about it. I couldn’t simply quit because I still had bills to pay, but I knew I couldn’t continue to work in an environment where I felt partly responsible for breaking up marriages.

  Deep down, I knew people like Chasey’s husband had made their own choices. If it wasn’t my hotel, it would have been another. But the bottom line was that seeing something like that was the last straw. I had had enough.

  Thankfully, Cal was willing to hire me. And after a long talk with him and Sam, we decided that I could be in charge of handling the entertainment at the bar for him. Cal had recently started having bands play live performances at his bar. While the outcome had been great, he couldn’t deny that it had been a lot of work and preparation.

  So, now I was going to be in charge of that. Having spent all these years as a hotel manager, I knew I could easily manage all of the responsibilities and hea
daches that would come with hiring live talent.

  Of course, Sam and I told Cal all about what happened that day that brought me to that place. Sam, however, didn’t seem interested in holding back the news that My Violent Heart had come into the hotel that day. She also felt compelled to tell Cal that Cash Morris was ‘seriously interested’ in me.

  Yes, those were her words.

  Seriously interested.

  I had wanted to tell her that he was only seriously interested in finding an easy score, but I refrained. At least for the time being. I was too heartbroken at what I’d witnessed that day to really think too much about anything other than how horrible I felt for that woman and her brand-new baby.

  Only two more weeks.

  I’d suck it up for the next two weeks, and then I’d be out of here.

  On that thought, I got started working on budgets and other financial reports. But I hadn’t even gotten two or three minutes into my work when Izzy walked in and called, “Demi?”

  “Yeah?”

  “There’s a call waiting on hold for you,” she said.

  I glanced down at the phone on my desk. Only one of the lines was lit up.

  “I’ll get it. Thanks,” I told her as I put my hand to the phone.

  “This is Demi. How can I help you?”

  “Shit, I forgot.”

  Three words. With just three words, my body went on alert because I knew precisely who was on the other line.

  “Cash?” I called.

  There was a momentary pause before he replied, “Yeah.”

  Why was he calling? He said he forgot. If he forgot something, he could have easily asked Izzy.

  “Did you forget something in your suite?” I asked. “I can talk to housekeeping and see if they found anything.”

  “No, that’s not it,” he said. “It been a few days since I left. I realized I didn’t give you an option.”

  “An option?” I repeated.

  “Well, I started thinking about you, and I realized it was totally possible for you to change your mind about wanting to give me your number. The problem is that you have no way to contact me. And while I do think that you’re a very determined woman who would find a way to get what she wants, I didn’t want you to have to go to the trouble.”