Page 74 of Heartbeat Girl
“Jayne…”
I buried my face in his chest and wrapped my arms around him. God, so right. We fit together so perfectly. All those warm tingles were flooding my stomach.God, why had I run from him?The fact that I avoided him for so long made my eyes and throat sting. I would fight for this feeling—fight for him. Truthfully, since finding out what Liam was, my feelings were clear. I’d always been drawn to Liam and I no longer wanted to hide from that.
“Well, tell me. What have you stolen?” I whispered against his shirt.
Warm lips pressed against my forehead, and he rolled my bun around in his fingers like he wanted to take the hair band out. “I’ll tell you soon. It comes with some pain, and that’s something I can’t bear seeing with you.”
I tensed. “Liam…”
“I know,” he murmured softly. “Your heart tells me your fear. There are some parts I wish to keep from you, but I think you’d want me to give it back. You’re stronger now. If you can order three vampires around about meals, you can endure the pain you couldn’t before.”
“You’re scaring me,” I said, but I didn’t push away from him. I just held him tighter.
“Now or later?”
My stomach flipped at his question. My voice trembled as I asked, “Liam, have you ever hurt—”
“Don’t ask something you already know the answer to.”
I believed he wouldn’t harm me, but I had to be sure. I sagged against him as the tension left me. “Then tell me later.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
JAYNE
After our much-needed hug, Liam checked us out of the rooms while I made some phone calls. Three fake articles circulated online about what happened. Of course, the truth would never be public knowledge, but some news reporters took lies too far. One said Liam threw a groupie out of the motel window while another site said the woman attempted suicide after being rejected by Steve. I rubbed my temples as we walked to the bus.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have made it out to be an obsessive fan.” Liam frowned as he watched me disconnect the call.
“It’s fine.” I waved my hand. “It’ll blow over in no time.”
When we stepped onto the bus, the eerie quiet unsettled me. Pete glanced up from the chair when we entered. “Ready to rock?”
I grimaced. “Is this what Ruth felt like when I said cheesy things like that to her?”
Pete smiled. “It’s a lot cuter when you do it. Like when Ruth’s mom is giving you hell and you just laugh, making it worse.”
“Barb loves me. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I cleared my throat, feigning ignorance. Glancing around, I asked, “Where’s—”
Then I spotted Steve lying on the couch.
“Looking for me, Jayne?” Steve raised his head and grinned. The gesture lacked the usual mirth that crinkled his eyes. Or maybe I was overthinking things. Like I over thought the way he pulled me closer with a knife still wedged in his chest and tried to…What?The bite must have influenced him as well.
Steve and Liam behaved differently, too. A silent, slight chill drifted between the way they communicated with their eyes. I suspected I might be the blame. Before I could say anything to ease the tension, Steve’s hand slid up my back. His gaze narrowed before he concealed it with his usual smirk.
“Don’t be so upset, Liam,” Steve said. “I only took her first biting experience.”
Oh, for goodness’ sake.
Within a blink, Liam was gone. I swayed and grabbed the table. Something tickled me.Did something touch me?Suddenly, Steve’s hand was no longer on my back. A rapid round of grunts came from behind me. A blood-curdling crack made me whirl around to see Liam’s hands on Steve’s neck. My eyes widened as Steve’s body hit the floor with a thud.
Liam steppedoverhim like it was nothing. Oh, my God.Steve isn’t moving!
“He’s fine,” Liam assured me. “He deserved it, and he wanted me to do it.”
Um, what?
“He wanted you to snap his neck?” I screeched.