Fractured Hearts: A Fractured Rock Star Romance Read online

  Murmurs of agreement came from around the table. Noah and Zac immediately began throwing around ideas which became increasingly inappropriate as they tried to outdo each other. Tex reached for her laptop, surprising her by politely asking, “May I?” and at her nod, flicking through the rest of the photos she’d saved. Connor had said nothing and was still staring out the window, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand as if deep in thought.

  “Connor?” she asked quietly.

  He turned to look at her, his eyes shadowed, and she had a strange urge to reach over the table and cover his hand with hers. Instead, she asked, “Are you okay with all of that?”

  Connor looked around the table at Noah and Zac in fits of laughter as their ideas got even more outrageous, and Tex, who was still clicking through photos, and his expression cleared.

  He turned back to her, his mouth tipping upward at the corners, and nodded. “I think that’ll be just fine.”

  His deep, smooth voice with its sexy lilt washed over her, and as their eyes caught, tension filled the air between them again.

  The sound of the bus door opening and someone climbing aboard broke the spell. Lexie blinked and turned away, flushing. Great. By staring at him for what must have been an inappropriately long time, she’d probably given him the impression she was mooning over him like every other woman out there.

  Luckily, she was distracted from that embarrassing thought by a tall, muscular woman strolling into the living area with a broad smile on her face. “Good to see you boys again,” she called out. All four men stood and strode over to her, taking turns giving her a hug.

  Curious who she was, Lexie slid out from the table and stood up. The woman’s eyes widened when she noticed Lexie, and a grin spread across her face. “So, which of you four has finally wised up and found himself a pretty lady to call his own, then?”

  Lexie had to giggle at the terrified looks on the guys’ faces. Since they all seemed too stunned at the idea of her being a girlfriend to introduce her, she did it herself, smiling up at the woman as she stepped forward and held out her hand.

  “Hi, I’m Lexie. I’m the tour photographer.”

  She shook Lexie’s hand, giving it a squeeze before letting go. “Hi, Lexie. I’m Maggie and I’m the boys’ driver. It’s my job to get them all safely from here to there. They’ll try to convince you it’s also my job to wait on them hand and foot, but I can guarantee you that’s not the case.” She threw a mock dirty look at the guys, who had recovered enough to put on expressions of wide-eyed innocence.

  She turned back to Lexie. “So, are you going to be traveling with us too, then?”

  Lexie nodded. “Looks like it.”

  “Well, that’ll be nice. The boys are big enough and ugly enough to look after themselves. But if you need anything, sweetheart, give me a shout and I’ll see what I can do. And don’t let these four fool you. They may try to act like badass rock and roll stars, but they’re all teddy bears at heart.”

  “That’s enough, Maggie.” Tex fake growled at her. “You can’t give away all our secrets, or we won’t have any credibility.”

  Lexie laughed. “Too late, your secret’s out. There’s no going back now.”

  Maggie smiled cheerfully at her, and then being completely unsubtle, turned and gave the guys a wink and a thumbs-up before letting them know they’d be setting off in about five minutes. Then she headed to the front of the bus to get herself sorted.

  Feeling much more relaxed about being on the bus now, Lexie smiled to herself. Glancing up, she caught Connor’s eyes on her, a pensive expression on his face. He turned away, joining in with the conversation the others were having about what they would have for dinner.

  Lexie frowned at his serious expression, wondering if she’d done something to annoy him. She shrugged. He’d seemed happy enough with her concept for the photo book, so he was probably just practicing his brooding rock star look.

  The bus rumbled to life as Maggie started the engine and Lexie sat back down at the table. Time to get to work.

  Chapter 8

  Lexie’s first night on the tour bus was a bit of a revelation. She’d been nervous about spending time with a bunch of egotistical rock stars, but they were all surprisingly down-to-earth. She’d spent an inordinate amount of time laughing at their antics and taking photos.

  She probably wouldn’t use any of the shots for the photo book. It was more to get the guys comfortable with her being around them, and to give her an idea of how they all acted in front of the camera. The thing that struck her the most was their complete lack of self-consciousness. There was something undeniably appealing about men that were so comfortable in their own skin—with who they were.

  Noah was the clown, always hamming it up. He was quick to smile and laugh, and a terrible flirt; he had her in stitches half the time. Zac was more reserved but had a wicked sense of humor. His dark, soulful eyes were watchful, and it took him longer to warm up to her, but when he did, he was a lot of fun to be around. Tex was the epitome of a rock god, with his shoulder-length, sun-streaked brown hair and tattoos covering his muscular arms and chest. She found him intimidating at first, since he towered over her, but when he pulled out a paperback novel, they had a great conversation over a shared love of books.

  Connor was the most difficult to get a read on. There was a sense of restraint about him, as if he was always holding part of himself back.

  After dinner, which Maggie picked up from a roadside diner, Tex, Noah, and Zac settled down to watch a movie on the large flat-screen TV. Instead of joining them, Connor went to the back of the room and pulled out an acoustic guitar and notepad. He bent his head over the instrument and quietly strummed it. She could see his lips moving though she couldn’t hear what he was singing. Now and then he’d stop and make notes in the pad.

  Lexie couldn’t help herself from centering him in the viewfinder of her camera. She focused on the graceful line of his spine curving over the guitar, his dark hair falling over his forehead, and the long lashes that brushed his cheeks when he closed his eyes to concentrate.

  Through the camera, she watched the muscles in his arms flex under his tanned skin as he played the instrument. She glimpsed a tattoo on his left arm, the edge of it partly visible below his t-shirt sleeve, and wondered what it looked like without his shirt covering it. What he looked like without his shirt. That sense of attraction whispered through her again, and she frowned, lowering her camera without taking the shot.

  As she started to turn away, he tilted his head to the side, his gaze colliding with hers. Caught staring. Again. For a few breathless seconds, she held his gaze, the attraction ratcheting up a few notches as she lost herself in his green eyes. Then she came to her senses. This was not happening, she told herself.

  Forcing a stiff smile, she broke his gaze and turned back to the others, raising her camera for a few last shots. It had been a long and overwhelming day, and she was tired. Time to go to bed.

  She packed up her camera, wandered up to the front of the bus to say good night to Maggie, then back through the living area to say good night to the guys. Tex, Zac, and Noah smiled and chorused out their good-nights as she waved to them where they were sprawled out watching the movie.

  Connor didn’t appear to have moved since he’d caught her watching him. Feeling self-conscious as his eyes tracked her progress toward him, she gave him a small smile and a wave good night. He didn’t return the gesture, but as she was almost past him, he reached out and grasped her wrist. Startled, she stopped and turned, meeting his eyes.

  “Sleep well, Lexie” he murmured, and she felt his thumb skim the back of her wrist before he let her go and turned back to his guitar.

  Lexie stood frozen for a second before pivoting and heading down the aisle to her room at the back of the bus, the faint sound of his guitar following her. Although she was exhausted, it took her a long time to fall asleep.

  * * *

  By the time she woke the next morn
ing, they’d arrived in Seattle for the first stop of the tour. The bus had pulled up outside the stadium, and chaos seemed to reign again as everything was unloaded. Lexie could already hear the squeals of overexcited women, and she gritted her teeth, imagining the shrill sound would get very old, very quickly.

  She got up, had a quick shower, and dressed in a pair of denim cutoffs and a fitted green V-neck t-shirt, then slipped on a pair of Converse sneakers and pulled her hair into a ponytail, ready for a busy day ahead. Yesterday had been her day to get used to everything, but today her job really started. She’d carry her camera with her everywhere to make sure she got as many shots as possible.

  Lexie left the bedroom and wandered into the living area, only to be stopped in her tracks by the sight of four hot, shirtless rock stars lounging around eating breakfast. Oh my God. She blinked a couple of times, but they didn’t disappear, so she took a deep breath and got her feet moving.

  Tex noticed her first. “Mornin’, darlin’. Did you sleep okay?” The rest of them turned around to smile at her and say good morning too.

  “Yes, thanks. Surprisingly well considering I’ve never slept on a bus before. How were the bunks?”

  Tex shrugged. “Not too bad. Ask me again in a week though; I’ll probably give you a different answer.”

  Feeling bad again about stealing the only proper bed, she opened her mouth, about to offer it up, when Connor locked eyes with her. As if he knew what she was going to say, he gave her a frown and a tiny shake of his head.

  She closed her mouth, then turned to busy herself with making a coffee at the kitchenette counter, because seeing Connor shirtless first thing in the morning was far too disconcerting. It had given her a chance to check out his tattoo though, which turned out to be a striking black Celtic-style tribal pattern extending from the top of his bicep, over his shoulder and collarbone, and finishing over his heart.

  As she absentmindedly stirred creamer into her coffee—trying very hard not to picture smooth, tanned skin inked with stark black lines—she felt someone come up behind her. Before she had a chance to turn around, she heard Connor’s low, husky voice over her shoulder.

  “Excuse me,” he said and then stretched his arm up over her head to reach the cupboard above her and retrieve a coffee mug. As he did, his bare chest brushed against her back, and the scent of warm-bodied man enfolded her, causing her senses to go on full alert. Her breathing quickened, and a hot flush swept over her body.

  She glanced over her shoulder to find him looking down at her with a lazy smile on his face, his eyes glinting with something that seemed an awful lot like amusement. Damn him. He was doing it on purpose to get a reaction from her, so sure of his effect on women.

  Annoyed that he thought he could play with her, she reacted without thinking. Smiling sweetly, she turned so that her breasts brushed against his chest, trying hard to ignore how her nipples hardened at the contact. She put a hand on the smooth, warm skin of his stomach as she eased out from between him and the counter. That was a mistake because his hard abs felt a little too good against her palm. Her movement had the intended effect though. Connor’s jaw tensed, and he looked a lot less amused than before.

  “Let me just get out of your way.” She kept the fake sweet smile plastered on her face as she moved away from him, unable to help trailing her fingers against his skin slightly longer than she needed to. But it had been such a long time since she’d touched a man in that way, she’d forgotten how good it could feel.

  The thought brought her back to her senses. She wasn’t here to remember how good it felt to have her hands on an attractive man. She was here to do a job and do it well. That couldn’t happen if she was being distracted by one of her employers.

  Clutching her coffee mug, she wandered over to the dining table where the other three were finishing up breakfast. She lifted an eyebrow in amusement. Toast and cereal appeared to be on the menu. Not quite what she’d expected rock stars to eat for breakfast.

  “So, what’s the schedule for today?” she asked.

  Zac answered. “After breakfast, we’ll head into the venue to make sure the setup is going smoothly and there aren’t any surprises. Then we’ll head to the hotel for a few hours to relax, have lunch, and be back here this afternoon in time for soundcheck.”

  She nodded, trying to plan her photos. “Okay, well, I’ll head out when you do and get some photos of everyone setting up. I’ll just go and get my camera ready.”

  As she turned to leave, she couldn’t help glancing over at Connor. He remained where she’d left him, leaning back against the counter with his muscular arms crossed over his chest, green eyes watching her. The sight of him like that did nothing to diminish the attraction thrumming through her veins.

  “Get a grip, Lexie,” she muttered to herself.

  She didn’t know if she’d spoken louder than she’d intended to, or if he could read her mind, but the corners of his mouth curled up in amusement.

  Shaking her head, she turned and headed back to her room.

  Chapter 9

  Alittle later, Lexie followed the now fully dressed band members out of the bus. Two of the band’s security detail stood guard outside. As they exited, one of the big guys peeled off to escort them into the stadium, while the other stayed behind to keep an eye on the bus.

  Lexie took a few steps and then stopped to look around. There was so much going on; equipment was being unloaded from trucks and taken into the venue, people were rushing around frantically, and a crowd of screaming fans was being held back by a fence and several security guards.

  Lexie wanted to capture the beehive of activity, so while the band kept walking toward the venue, she stopped to snap some photos, spinning in place to make sure she got the full picture.

  “Lexie, you coming?” Noah had turned and was now walking backward as he spoke to her.

  “I might stay out here for a bit,” she called back.

  Noah nodded, then turned back to follow the others. Connor stopped and spoke to the security guy that was escorting them, who then headed back toward her, while Connor turned and continued into the venue.

  She lowered her camera as the big burly guy approached her, looking up at him questioningly.

  “Mr. Byrne wants me to stay with you until you’re ready to go inside.”

  Lexie raised her eyebrows. “Oh, that’s not necessary. I’m sure they need you more than I do. I’m not the one with hordes of screaming fans trying to get to me.” She smiled up at him, but he looked back at her expressionlessly.

  “Mr. Byrne told me to stay with you, so that’s what I’m going to do.”

  Lexie blew out a breath. Not quite what she was used to, but it was what it was. Now she needed to get to work.

  When she eventually made her way inside, she saw the band sitting in a row on the edge of the stage. She waved goodbye to Will, the security guard who had been escorting her outside, and he headed off to take up his assigned position.

  Lexie spun in a circle again, taking in the sheer size of the stadium and the amount of activity underway. She’d never realized how much was involved in the setup of a major concert. The stage itself was very simple—all black with risers for Noah’s drums and a piano. On stage, equipment and speakers were being set up, while the lighting crew hoisted trusses that would hold all the lights. Huge video screens were being lifted behind and around the sides of the stage, and a catwalk was being assembled at the front. In the secure area underneath the stage, the sound mixing and support techs were setting up. Dozens of men and women pushed pieces of equipment and cases on wheels around the floor of the stadium.

  Lexie wandered around for over an hour, absorbed in her work, and trying not to get in anyone’s way while she took photo after photo of the organized chaos. She was taking a close-up of Noah’s drum set—which had at least twelve microphones arrayed around it—when she felt a presence behind her. Without even having to hear his voice, she knew it was Connor.

  She ke
pt taking shots for a few more seconds, not wanting him to know how much his presence unnerved her. Then, taking a deep breath, she let her camera drop on its strap and turned to face him. “Hi, Connor.”

  The fact that at the first glimpse of his face her heart rate sped up meant she had to stop denying how attractive she found him. When she felt the sharp stab of guilt, she braced herself against it. She was a widow, she wasn’t dead. This was what she wanted, wasn’t it? To start moving on.

  It wasn’t as if her attraction to him was unusual; most women in the world would find him as sexy as hell. But just because she was attracted to him didn’t mean she had to act on it. She was a grown woman, a professional, and more than able to control herself around a man. Even if he was an incredibly sexy rock star. She just needed to admit it and allow herself to admire him from afar.

  “I wanted to see how it was going. Are you getting what you need? Is there anything you’d like to know about or want to get a photo of in particular?” His eyes were intent on hers.

  “There’s so much to capture. A lot of these initial shots won’t end up getting used unless I get a lucky candid. At the moment I’m getting a feel for everything that’s going on, so I know how best to prepare for the next time. Same goes for the concert tonight. Tomorrow is when I’ll hit my stride.”

  “Have you been to one of our concerts before?” he asked.

  Lexie shook her head. “I’ve seen some videos though; they were amazing. I’m excited about tonight.”

  “So, you’re telling me you’re not a fan?” He frowned and appeared so serious, she tripped over her words as she tried to reply. “Oh, uh, no I…”

  A smile slowly spread over his face, his gorgeous lips tilting up at the corners. “I’m teasing you, Lexie. I like that you’re not a fan. This way everything is new to you and you can see us as we really are, not just what you expect to see.”