Abby and the Cute One (Backstage Pass) by Erin Butler Read Free Book Online Page A

tent? You guys must have really hit it off. How’s LJ taking that news?”
    Panic ignited in his chest. Nathan forgot Beau would’ve seen Abby yesterday. How much did he see?
    He pulled his hands through his hair and tried to calm himself. “That’s Abby Curtis. She’s our new opening act.”
    “I know who she is now . Rumors about her audition are spreading like wildfire around here. But she’s the same girl from last night, right?”
    “No,” Nathan said without thinking. Because any hesitation would so not be good. “No way, Abby doesn’t even look like that girl. They both have blond hair, but that’s about it.”
    Beau’s eyebrows drew in. “Huh.” After a moment, he shook his head. “I must’ve been tired last night. Could’ve sworn it was the same girl.”
    Nathan laughed it off and then patted Beau on the shoulder a couple of times. “You need some time off.”
    Afterward, he made his way through MetLife’s humongous backstage area, silently thanking whomever that he’d somehow totally pulled that off. Beau had no idea Abby was the same girl from last night, and he needed to keep it that way. Whatever Beau saw couldn’t be associated with Abby. Not that he thought their head security guard—who’d been with them from the start—would narc on him to LJ, but he didn’t want to take any chances of it getting out. Beau and the guys were tight and he might let something slip without thinking. It would fly through the crew like crazy. Nathan had never met so many busybodies in his life.
    Sound check had already started when he got there, but he paused to snap a selfie with the whole arena in the background. He uploaded it to Instagram and Twitter and then shut his phone down so the pings of likes and comments wouldn’t upset their routine.
    The techs made their rounds, making sure everything was set up correctly, the mikes were live, and musical instruments were where they should be. Will ran up the ramps, testing them out—he was Mr. Safety since getting hurt—and Trevin tried out the speaker jump he’d been working on.
    He caught Nathan watching him, and a smile spread across his face. “I think I’m putting this baby into play tonight.”
    “Don’t fall,” Ryder helpfully suggested.
    Miles shrugged. “Wouldn’t be the first time one of us fell during a show.”
    They all peered at Nathan who’d ate stage the last time. “Ryder tripped me,” he reminded them.
    A giggle came from the sidelines and Nathan’s arms sprouted goose bumps. Dammit. He’d been proud of himself for deceiving Beau so easily, but how was he supposed to do it when she was right there? When his body went all traitor on him just from a simple giggle? He didn’t dare turn around while the guys were staring at him. His face would speak volumes.
    Justin, their head roadie, signaled they were ready. They always sang at least one song all the way through to make sure everything was operational for the big night ahead. “What are we going with tonight?” Nathan asked.
    Three guys shrugged while Will looked to the side. “Let’s have our newest opening act decide. What say you, Abby? Which song should we test?”
    Nathan glanced over to find Abby blushing. “The One,” she said softly. A fierce red spread across her cheeks as she rocked back on her heels. It reminded Nathan of last night.
    “Excellent choice,” Ryder said.
    Nathan wanted to be dramatic and roll his eyes at Ryder’s pompous attitude, but he had a job to do. He took his place on stage with the rest of the guys, put Ryder and Abby out of his head, and waited for the backup band to play the opening chords to “The One.”
    Despite all his good intentions, he couldn’t help but sneak glances at Abby. She hugged her arms to herself, a smile growing on her face as the song progressed. She hadn’t been kidding when she said she was a fan, and he loved that she was enjoying this. She looked like she was about to burst.
    Around him, the band fizzled