Page 47 of Heartbeat Girl
Why did he hide his face from me? My heart pounded painfully. What would I see if he turned around? Something hideous? No.It’s Liam.No matter what, it was him. Liam wouldn’t hurt me, or he would have already. That was all I needed to calm my heart. I had to find out whatever he kept from me. Grabbing my hand, he pulled, trying to make let go of his arm. I squeezed tighter.
“Now who’s hiding from who?” I asked.
Someone banged on the door, making me flinch.
“Liam!” Steve yelled. “I know you’re in there. Let’s go.”
I dropped my hand. Liam unlocked the door and yanked it open. I sucked in a breath as he walked out, shutting me inside the bathroom. Grabbing my chest, I remembered something. His eyes!Oh, my God!I hadn’t imagined his eyes being black last week. I spotted the blood on my ankle.That’s it!Maybe the blood caused his eyes to change. Vampires reacted to exposure to their food.
I was right. Nothing could tell me otherwise.
+++
Rupert noticed me tracing my finger back and forth across my bottom lip. “You okay over there?”
My cheeks heated, and I dropped my hand. Looking away from the stage, I glimpsed him grinning.
“Oh, yeah,” I murmured.
But that wasn’t the truth. Everything seemed different. Kissing Liam altered me. Instead of worrying about vampires and blood, I wondered why Liam did what he did. And if he’d do it again. The ghost of his mouth lingered on my lips. I probably swelled my lips with how hard I’d rubbed them.
Arching a brow, Rupert jerked his bald head toward the stage. “Pretty boys, huh?”
My nose crinkled. “What?”
He laughed. “You have a thing for Liam, right?”
Oh, no.I didn’t realize I’d been staring at him.
“Why would you say that?”
“I saw you go in the bathroom together,” he said.
I couldn’t meet the older man’s gaze. It wasn’t what he thought! Liam didn’t even take it all the way. I smoothed out those nonexistent wrinkles on my blouse. I froze with my hand on my chest. I seriously hoped Liam didn’t hear or sense my emotions from this range.
Rupert clicked his tongue. “Lord, last time I saw you so flustered was when you met that porn actor. What was his name?”
“Why would you bring that up? I’d just started working with Ruth at the time!” During those days, I flustered so easily around celebrities. When Rupert chuckled, I said, “I’m going to go grab me a bottle of water.” I shook my head and strolled away.
“Uh-huh,” he said.
Damn, Liam!
That awkward encounter was his fault. I sighed. I grabbed a bottled water from the mini fridge in The Oppressors’ dressing room. Glaring at my reflection in the mirror, I wondered why there hadn’t been one near sooner before I made a fool out of myself.
“Where’s your pass?” I stopped when I overheard someone speaking outside the door. “How did you get back here?”
Uh-oh. Someone’s in trouble.
“I need a pass?” a male asked. “Then let me have yours.”
I rolled my eyes. Sure, the guy’s voice was pleasant, but no one would give up their work badge —
“Here you go,” the worker replied.
What?The hairs on my arm stood on end.
“The Oppressors.” Smooth Voice rapped his knuckles against the door. “This is their room, right?”