Page 12 of Heartbeat Girl

“I’m fine,” I grumbled, disliking the fact I displayed my sadness for everyone like an open book. I hated giving so much of myself away. “You don’t even know me.”

“Doesn’t matter, because I will if you say yes,” Liam said, heating my cheeks again. “What do you say?”

“That we better stay in hotel rooms more than we’ll be on that bus.”

The three of them hooted at the same time.In sync, as always.

Why did I feel like my life was about to take a complete one-eighty?

Chapter Five

LIAM

There was something about Jayne McCall. It was a strange, powerful sensation to be so hyperaware of someone that it was a struggle to think. From the beginning, before I even laid eyes on the little runner, I could hear her tears, every beat of her broken heart, the way she wiped her nose, and her whimper from the pain of touching her bruised face. Her footfalls, her breathing—everything. I even heard her over music. But, of course, Jayne didn’t remember that incident, nor did she know how much I listened and heard her that night and every night. I shouldn’t have heard her through a soundproof room either, as I sang my undead heart out to the music the boys and I created. But I did that day as well.

“Wouldn’t hurt for them to eat another burger or two, though.”

Jayne’s words said to Ruth while they watched us record months ago. They stuck with me ever since. At first, I was angry. Most of all, I was hurt. The woman I’d been constantly thinking and worrying about would barely glance my way, and now she had a problem with my physique. It was fucking hard to gain body mass as a vampire when the only thing you drank was blood. Jayne was a damn toothpick herself. I’d always been taller, bigger than her. She just barely got close enough to see how much.

“My, my, look at Liam breaking a sweat,” Steve chirped as he entered the gym. It was one of the first things I remodeled in the mansion we bought after becoming rich and famous. But Steve was lying. There was no sweat. It’d take a lot more than this to make an undead body perspire. “Look at how big he’s getting.”

“I wonder why he made such a drastic change?” Pete laughed.

“A certain tiny brunette, maybe. That ex of hers was all beefy and a real fucking prick.” I stiffened, growing angry at Steve for bringing Dean up. If he weren’t already dead, I’d kill him again for what he did to Jayne. I clenched my jaw as I lifted the weights—not out of exertion, but resentment. We chose not to kill people anymore—Dean had been our exception, and my little Jayne had no clue.

“It’s time to go get the little runner,” I added. The guys knew I meant Jayne.

“She called and said she’d meet us at the bus,” Pete said.

I set the weights down and glared, grabbing my phone. “What?”

“She called Pete.” Steve smirked.

“Why?”I narrowed my gaze.

“Don’t shoot the messenger. You can ask her when we get there.”

So, it wasn’t always Pete and Steve she ran from. It was fucking me.

+++

“Dial down your intensity,” Steve muttered as he walked behind me. “All you need is your eyes to turn, and you’d give yourself away.”

Ignoring him, I stalked over to Jayne’s car as he followed. Jayne was bent over her trunk, grabbing her suitcase. “Let me get it,” I said, sliding in beside her.

She jumped, clutching her chest. “Jesus! Don’t do that. I didn’t even hear you.”

“I need to get you some better ears,” I deadpanned, trying my best to ignore how easily she spooked.

“You can’t sneak up on me like that,” she mumbled as she grabbed the top of her ear and swallowed nervously. She wore a black pencil skirt with a white blouse. Her dark hair was in a ponytail—slicked back without a strand out of place. She looked great, and all put together and shit. Sure, it was easy to ruffle her feathers every now and again. But I’d never seen Jayne disheveled. Except for the first time I saw her, but that was something else entirely.

“She’s saying we need to stomp around from now on,” Steve added, before doing just that. “This better Jayne?”

She tensed, and I wasn’t about to let her talk herself out of it. “Come on.” I took the luggage from her hand and hoped she followed me.

Her steps were loud, angry clicks against the concrete as she rushed to catch up. I listened to the cute little thumps of her heart and smiled. Jayne might be irritated, but her heart rate was steady. She wasn’t trying to run. She’d already accepted it.

“Easy there, runner,” Steve told her. “We’re all going to the same bus.”