Maybe—
“Ah, here they are. Sorry. They were stuck at the bottom.”
Baz smiled at the girl, who returned it with a little more heat than he’d given her. He couldn’t have cared less.
Two all-access passes. Amazing how just the sight of them made him want to pump his fist in the air.
Turning to Tru, he slipped the lanyard over her head, running his fingers down the straps, to make sure it wasn’t twisted. And running his knuckles over the swells of her breasts, purely by accident, of course.
When he looked up, Tru was giving him that look, the one that let him know he wasn’t getting away with anything.
He smiled at her, grinned, actually, and she shook her head. But her lips had curved into a smile, as well.
“Come on, babe. I want you to meet the guys before they go on.”
Since the place hadn’t changed since the last time he was there several years ago, he walked over to the bouncer guarding the backstage door.
The guy glanced at them, checked their passes, then opened the door and waved them through.
No one stopped them until they got to the green room, where another bouncer, this one even bigger, held up his hand, holding a clipboard in the other.
“Name?”
“Sebastian Valenti. If I’m not on the list, check with Rick Florian, he’s the band manager.”
“You’re not on the list. The meet-and-greet for fans is down the hall.”
“If you can just—”
“Dude, I’m not a messenger.”
Because he knew how much shit bouncers dealt with on a nightly basis, he didn’t get pissed. “I get that. But can you stick your head in there and get someone? I’d appreciate it.”
With a sigh, the guy opened the door behind him and shouted, “Hey, someone with the band come and deal with this.”
Several seconds later, a teenager with long purple hair and a nose ring popped her head out the door, took one look at him and screamed as she rushed for him.
“Oh my god! Daddy is gonna freak out and die! He just got your text. Dude,” she glared up at the bouncer, “shove outta the way and let them through. If you had any taste in decent music, you’d know who the fuck this is.”
“Dana, holy shit, kid. Is it really you?”
As she grabbed his arm and pulled him and Tru past the now-scowling bouncer, the girl laughed like a demon and stopped just inside the doors to throw her arms around him.
“Damn right, it’s me. Been a while since we’ve seen each other, I know. And I’m now fully legal so you can’t call me a kid anymore.”
“No way you’re twenty-one. When the hell did that happen?”
The girl he remembered had been Johnny’s little princess, his only child when they’d first met. She’d been ten, he’d been eighteen. She’d followed all those tattooed and pierced rockers around like they were Prince Charmings, and she’d had every one of them wrapped around her little finger. He hadn’t seen as much of her as she’d gotten older, but he still saw that little girl with pigtails in the woman standing in front of him.
“Five months ago. God, it’s so good to see you, Baz. How the hell are you?”
“Better than I had been. Hey,” he pulled Tru up to his side from where she’d been hanging behind him, “I want you to meet Trudeau. Tru, Dana Owens, Johnny’s daughter and previously my number one fan.”
Dana laughed, shaking her head. “Still your number one fan. Just waiting for new music. Come on back. Daddy’s gonna cry, I swear.”
* * *
Tru watched Sebastian’s reunion with his friends and had to bite her lip to keep from shedding a few tears herself.
Johnny and Mac looked like two of the baddest-ass motorcycle bikers you’d never want to meet in a dark alley.
Johhny had a shaved head and his tattoos started at his neck and, she assumed, went all the way down to his toes. Mac had a salt-and-pepper ponytail that reached almost to the middle of his back and full sleeves of tattoos on both arms so colorful she caught herself staring at them several times.
And when they saw Sebastian, they practically shoved each other out of the way to hug him.
Tru hung back as Sebastian was enveloped by the two men, but after everyone took a breath, he brought her forward again for introductions.
Johnny and Mac had big smiles for her, too, but they were so intently focused on Sebastian, talking over each other much of the time, that she finally got far enough away to let Sebastian have a little privacy with the men.
At the tap on her shoulder, she turned to find Dana smiling at her and nodding her head toward a sofa in the corner of the room, where they went to sit.
“So, how’d you meet Baz?”
The girl’s long hair had been dyed a really beautiful shade of purple, which complemented the topaz-colored eyes she shared with her dad. That was the only trait they shared, however. Dana was shorter than Tru and slim, as if she hadn’t quite grown into her adult body yet. Her features were adorable, definite ingénue material except for the tiny t-shirt that left absolutely nothing to the imagination and the tight jeans that looked painted onto her body. The girl had a few tattoos, one similar to something Sebastian had, and a nose ring that would’ve made Tru’s mom shudder, but Dana made it all work without looking trashy.
“He’s doing the score for a film the company I work for is making. We’ve been working together for the past several months.”
“So you’ve been dating all that time?”
“No, actually this is our first real date.”
Dana’s eyes widened. “Seriously? You must love music.”
“I have to admit I’m not really into music. Except Sebastian’s.”
“Yeah, the guy’s got a way with a guitar.” Dana smiled up at her. “But I guess you know that, huh?”
“The man certainly is talented.”
Dana laughed, shaking her head. “Daddy always said Baz was one of the most natural guitarists he’d ever met. He really loves him. The guys were like the brothers I never had. They could’ve been huge, stuck-up dicks, but they never acted like prima donnas, ya know? They were just always so happy to be playing.”
Tru didn’t want to pump the girl for information, but she loved hearing about Sebastian from someone who’d known him before.
“I’ve only seen him play with the band on video. I wasn’t really into music before I met Sebastian.”
“Oh, there’s nothing like live music.” Dana looked almost rhapsodic. “It’s just got so much energy. I’ve been at concerts since I was a baby and I think my dad is the absolute best guitar player in the world. But Baz has something special.”
Tru couldn’t help turning toward him and found him watching her, even as he continued to hold a conversation with Johnny and Mac. When their gazes met, he smiled, just a slow curve of his lips but it made her want to strip away all her clothes and climb him like a pole.
She felt her cheeks flame and wondered if he knew what she was thinking.
The heat building low in her body led her to believe he was thinking about sex. Just like she was.
She dragged her gaze away as Dana continued to talk but she still felt his gaze on her. Not long after that, she heard Sebastian laugh and her gaze sought him out again.
“How’s he doing? Really?”
Dana’s quiet question forced Tru to give the other girl her full attention. “I think he’s doing better than he gives himself credit for. He’s stable. I think he’s gonna be fine.”
Dana sighed. “I am so glad to hear that. He’s one of the good guys.”
She shared a smile with Dana, nodding. “He can still be a pain in the ass.”
Dana’s laughter rang loud and clear. “Preach, sister. They all have their moments.”
They talked for a few more minutes before Sebastian, Johnny and Mac joined them.
“So, Tru, we’re trying to get this guy to join us onstage for a few songs. Tell him you want to see him play so he’ll agree. I have a feeling that’s the only way we’ll get him on stage tonight.”
Sebastian held his hands up in front of him. “Hey, guys, it’s not my show. I don’t want to take up your time.”