Page 32 of Heartbeat Girl
“Check what?”
“If you’d let me inside.” Another sigh escaped his lips. “You didn’t.”
I swung open the door. His back was to me, and then he turned around with his hands in his pockets. That sultry gaze of his travelled over me before finding my face.
I gripped the knob. “Why did you want to know that?”
He shrugged.
In that moment, I realized it was his stare that made me squirm so much. He watched me so intently it was almost like an intimate caress.
As his shoulders drooped, I had the odd craving to soothe him. “I wouldn’t let anyone in. Not just you.” Then I quickly added, “Just so you understand.”
And like that, the droop in his posture straightened and the sudden smile that curled his mouth was mischief. “Is that so? Good to know.”
My heart galloped. I shouldn’t have said anything.
“Let us take you out tonight!” Steve shouted from their room. My eyes widened like saucers. How thin were those walls? How did they always hear me?
“Please Jayne!” Pete yelled.
Liam’s body stiffened, surprising me with the glare he sent toward the wall.
“How can they hear us?” I whispered.
Instead of answering my question, Liam asked, “Would it kill you to hang out with us? That afraid of actually liking our company?”
“Ha-ha.” I rolled my eyes.
“That wasn’t much of a laugh,” he said
That asshole knew I was being sarcastic.
“Sure, I’ll go. I suppose it wouldn’t kill me to hang out with you guys for one evening.”
“Don’t be so surprised if it does!” Steve shouted.
+++
Steve whistled as I stepped out of the elevator.
“Stop,” I said.
“I’ve never seen you in jeans. They hug you nicely,” Steve commented.
“I’m already regretting this,” I muttered. Glancing around, I noticed somebody was missing. “Where’s Liam?”
“Right here.” His voice came from behind. His hands landed on my shoulders, and something cool touched my neck. I looked down at a heart hanging from a gold chain. Not the shape we all used for love and romance, but an honest-to-god organ. I lifted the trinket and faced him. “A heart? What’s this for?”
Liam took the charm from my hand and inspected it. “I saw it in a shop a few streets down and had to buy I it for you.” He dropped the trinket.
Like all my blouses, this one hung low and exposed cleavage. Liam was the closest any man’s been to my breasts lately. I’d been too preoccupied with work and Ruth’s disappearance to worry about dating. Dean had been the last guy I’d been with, and that was quite a while ago.
“It reminded me of you,” Liam said.
“How so?” I studied the golden organ. Kind of cute, strangely.
“This heart,” he pointed toward the necklace, “is like your fear.”