AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m sorry if I asked about something that wasn’t my business,” she said softly.
And now he felt even worse. Which was the only explanation for why he did what he did next.
He took her hand and rubbed his thumb over the back of her knuckles. “You did absolutely nothing wrong. I’m having the best day with you.” Then he tugged her forward and wrapped his arms high up around her shoulders. Her arms went around his middle and he pressed his cheek to the top of her head. “Ask me about it later,” he repeated. She nodded in his arms and he released her.
She put her gloves back on and he helped her with her helmet before they both got back on the bike.
And for the next two hours, the only thing he let his mind think about was how amazing it felt to have her limbs wrapped around his body. And how he wanted it for a lot longer than he should.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
BROKEN SONGS
ZARA
She couldn’t stop thinking about Bruce Springsteen.
Being born and raised in Jersey and having a dad with a blue-collar job meant that The Boss was never far away. She knew his songs almost as well as she knew her own.
And a motorcycle ride through middle America had triggered a specific desire.
The house was quiet. Cas and Devan had left. Asa had dropped her off and gone somewhere else. He didn’t say where and she didn’t ask.
She took a shower, put on a pair of black sweatpants and a thin white tank top, and poured herself a glass of white wine.
On the second floor of the house, just off the dining room, was a room with a grand piano. It was also where Asa had set up the guitars he’d brought when he’d moved in. The sun had beendown for a while and she turned on one side lamp on the far side of the room.
She walked slowly around the room, looking at all the instruments Asa owned in the various stages of wear. It was obvious which ones were favorites. Or had been.
Her heart pinched when she thought about how he didn’t seem to do that anymore. Aside from the couple of times she’d heard him play through his bedroom door, she didn’t think he spent time with music at all. Not the way he used to. Not the way this collection said he once had.
She finished her wine and set the glass down on the table by the light she’d turned on. Then she went to the piano and took a seat. She’d lived there for over a month but hadn’t messed with the piano yet.
Growing up, they’d had a small upright piano in the living room where her dad had taught her to play. He’d taught her every Springsteen song he knew. She’d always believed it’s where her love of songwriting had come from. The way the story unfolded with the music, how it pulled at her soul and gave sound to the undefinable things in her heart.
Music had been and always would be magic to her. How could it be anything else?
Her fingers found their place on the ivory keys. It had been a while but after a couple false starts, she felt it come back.
She let herself get lost in “Thunder Road,” remembering the ride in the sun that day with Asa, the times she’d played this song for her dad while he’d pretended not to cry, the constant and dependable friend that music had always been to her. No matterwhat she was going through, how clouded her emotions, she could findrightnessin the music. Belonging.
That’s all she wanted to do for everyone else. She shared her music with the world because she didn’t want anyone to ever feel alone.
Coming to the end of the song, she opened her eyes, not realizing they had closed.
The first thing they saw was Asa, standing with a shoulder to the doorway, hands in his pockets. A gentle look at his face.
He’d changed his clothes since their ride. He must’ve showered again because his hair was wet. He had on a pair of navy-blue sweats and a gray muscle tank that showed off his heavily tattooed arms.
Drool. Worthy.
Not that she was a drooling type of individual. But if she had been,whoo buddy!
Taking her hands off the keys, she tucked them between her knees and gave him a small smile.
“I didn’t know you were back,” she said.
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard ‘Thunder Road’ sound quite like that,” he said, voice rough. He took a deep breath. “You are…” He rolled his lips inward and shook his head once. “Something else.”
