Page 16 of Heartbeat Girl
Through the night, the soft strum of a guitar and the occasional whispered voices grew louder and interrupted my sleep. Then they settled back down.What the hell?When were these guys going to sleep? Were they night owls? I almost wanted to get up and order them to sleep since they performed in sixteen hours. No wonder they let me have the bedroom. They probably wanted to steal it when I woke.
That didn’t sound bad to me. A few hours alone to get acquainted with my new job.Me time.
+++
“What the fuck is that thing?” Steve yelled, and I winced, squinting through sleep-filled eyes. They were in the tiny kitchen area.
“Steve…” Pete tried to stifle his laugh.
Rubbing my eyes, it took a few seconds to realize what Steve referred to. That fucker. How bad did I look this morning? I reached for the bathroom door, opened it loudly, and glared before walking in and slamming it back. How the hell were they still awake? Or did they sleep while I did, and it felt like I didn’t rest at all?
“Put on some fucking coffee for her,” Steve whispered.
I hated I could still hear him through the walls. If they brought a groupie on the bus, I had to stay out. Just thinking about the sounds made me shudder. I closed my eyes, reopened them to look at myself in the mirror, and whispered a prayer.Please, God, protect my bed this summer from cum and STDs.
“Did you see that look she gave us? My knees might buckle if I try to stand.” I rolled my eyes as Steve continued.
“She wasn’t glaring at us—just you,” Pete said.
This sucked. I wasn’t used to anyone waking up before me or being awake all night. Ruth slept in most of the time. I had plenty of time to put myself together before she woke up. I dropped my head when I realized what I was doing. Always thinking about Ruth. Goodness, I missed her. If she was truly okay, why hadn’t she contacted me during the last six months? No matter what, I would keep her secret, but I wished Iknewfor certain she was doing all right.
In the bathroom, I touched my face as I stared at my reflection, then wiped off yesterday’s makeup. This would be the first time the guys saw me without makeup.Oh, well...I wasn’t ugly. At least, I didn’t think so, but there was a glare etched on my small, childish features. That was likely,hopefully,what Steve joked about.My grumpy morning expression.The Oppressors acted as if we were close enough to crack jokes about my appearance. We weren’t close. We weren’t friends. They knew me about as much as I did them. I’d kept my distance around them even after Ruth became friends with them.
I didn’t know why I felt nervous around them. Even I knew it wasn’t fair to be so strange and detached when I barely knew them, but my feet moved me in adifferent direction every time they neared. That would have to change since I was now their PA.
After relieving myself and taking a quick shower, I slipped back into the bedroom with a robe to get dressed. Someone knocked as I was putting my eyeliner on.
“Yeah?” I called out.
The door opened, and Liam walked in with a coffee mug. “Don’t avoid the kitchen area because of us.” His gaze raked over me. I coughed, straightening my voice, and he met my glower with the arch of a brow while I took the cup from his hand.
“I’m not,” I lied, placing the drink between my crossed legs. Adjusting my lighted mirror, I resumed applying my eyeliner.
“You’re a terrible liar.” He sighed.
When he made no move to leave, I turned my head again.
“Listen, we’re not used to anyone taking us so seriously.”
“I’m not upset with the joke,” I said. “I’ve seen you all interact enough with your fans and Ruth to know it’s who you are.”
“No, Jayne, it’s what we strive to be. Friendly. Happy.” His brows slanted—determination, maybe?
I couldn’t fathom why Liam was so adamant about me knowing this.
“That hasn’t always been possible.”
“Well…” I lifted the corner of my mouth. “Believe me, you guys definitely are those things.”
It was their music—dark and broken—that suggested otherwise.
Liam crossed his arms. “Except that’s not enough to help you relax around us.” I tensed as he looked behind him. “Those two idiots in there are my family. We’ll treat you as if you’re our own. I swear on a stab to my heart that I’d never let harm come to you.”
Crinkling my nose, I laughed. “I’ve never heard it phrased that way before.”
My smile died when I saw him staring at my lips. The lines in his forehead deepened. Oh, God. He was serious. The whole stabbing of his heart thing made me think he was kidding. Because who said that? I tucked my hair behind my ears. Although he stood at the door and I was on the bed, I was acutely aware of how close he was, and how small this bus truly was. Liam and the others were men. Bigger, taller, and stronger than me. A vivid image of Liam pouncing on me, holding me down with that crazy strength of his had me sucking in a breath.Not good.
Why would I picture that? I didn’t want that!