Strings of the Heart

by Katie Ashley

At Bella’s pouty face, AJ leaned down and kissed her on the head. “I’ll be right back, mija.”

  When we got back into the dressing room, I found it was still just Jake and Brayden. “I don’t know where the hell he is. I just texted him again.”

  Waving my hand nonchalantly as if it truly didn’t hurt me and piss me off, I replied, “It doesn’t matter. I can work on getting all of yours first.”

  Jake stepped forward. “I’m sure you need to get the most important member first, right?” he asked, wearing a teasing expression.

  “Of course,” I replied.

  Setting down my notepad, I then grabbed my tape measure and pencil and went to work. “Done,” I said, once I’d worked my way from his neck all the way down his body.

  “You did that just like a professional.”

  I smiled at his compliment. After I draped the measuring tape back around my neck, I stooped over my notepad to enter Jake’s measurements more formally than what I had scribbled on a scratch piece of paper.

  When I finished and turned around, AJ was whipping off his “Drummers Bang Harder” T-shirt. I bit down on my lip to keep from laughing. “Um, you don’t have to be naked for me to get accurate measurements.”

  He grinned. “After doing your brother’s, I thought you might like to take in an example of a real man’s physique.”

  Jake snorted as he collapsed onto the couch. “Keep dreaming, asshole.”

  While AJ preened in front of the mirror, flexing his biceps and dancing his pecs, I pulled the tape from around my neck. “Okay, Mr. Hot Stuff, let’s do this.”

  A frown lined AJ’s brows as he gazed in the mirror. He ran his hand up and down the washboard abs that drove women wild. “You know, I’m starting to think having kids has turned my six-pack into a keg.”

  Across the room from us, Brayden howled with laughter. “Last time I checked, it was Mia birthing the kids, not you, so I’m not quite sure how your girlish figure was affected.”

  After AJ scowled at Brayden, he turned to me. “What do you think, Allison?”

  I couldn’t help the laughter that tumbled out of my lips at both his question and the seriousness with which he asked it. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about, AJ.”

  With a waggle of his brows, he asked, “So you think I’m a DILF, eh?”

  Jake groaned. “Seriously, AJ? Don’t ask Allison shit like that.”

  Ignoring Mr. Overprotective, I nodded. “Totally a DILF. Mia is one lucky woman.”

  A beaming smile lit up his handsome face. Drawing me into his arms for an appreciative hug, AJ said, “Thank you. I knew you were a woman with very good taste.”

  That was the moment Rhys chose to appear in the doorway. His gaze momentarily narrowed on at me in AJ’s arms. Then as if he realized we weren’t alone, his expression softened. “What’s going on?”

  Taking a step back, AJ peered around me at Rhys. “Where the hell have you been, man? You knew Allison needed to get our measurements before rehearsal.”

  He shrugged. “Sorry. I didn’t know it was such a big deal.”

  His words had the same effect as if he had driven a dagger deep into my chest. Although I should have looked away, I couldn’t help staring into his eyes, desperately trying to find the Rhys I had loved for so long. For the life of me, I couldn’t understand why he was being an asshole to me. And while his dissing my internship hurt, the total lack of kindness he was showing me was much worse. Mainly because it was so against Rhys’s usual character.

  Rising off the couch, Jake eyeballed Rhys, and I could tell the big brother in him was getting rankled. “Allie’s fashion internship is a big deal.”

  Instead of looking at Jake, Rhys looked at me. Deep down, he knew how important it was. He’d been right there with me in Savannah when I’d told him all about it. In fact, he’d believed in me so implicitly then. But now, he was downplaying it like it was nothing at all to him.

  “It’s fine, Jake. I was busy with you guys anyway,” I replied, as I brought the tape measure to AJ’s neck.

  Undaunted, Jake said, “Why don’t you do Allison a favor and go get Eli and Gabe?”

  “They’re still rehearsing with Abby,” Rhys replied, as he grabbed a bottle of water out of the cooler.

  “Worthless,” Jake muttered under his breath.

  Just as I was finishing up with Brayden’s measurements, Frank, the head roadie for Runaway Train, came in the door. “Hey, Jake, I need all of you guys to head on up to the stage. One of the set changes is giving us problems in this arena, and I want to make sure you guys think it’s working out okay.

  “Rhys, once you’re done with your measurements, come meet us on the stage,” Jake said.

  “Okay,” Rhys replied.

  When the door shut behind them, leaving us all alone, I couldn’t help jumping. Loud silence reverberated around the room as if we were locked in a tomb. As I stood in front of Rhys, I slid my measuring tape off my neck. I knew I was going to have to break the silence between us. “You know, I thought we had agreed to be friends.”

  Rhys’s brows shot up in surprise. “Who said we weren’t?”

  I gave him a sad smile. “This—” I motioned between us, “Doesn’t feel much like friendship.”

  With an apologetic expression, Rhys protested, “I’m trying my best, Allison.”

  “By blowing off this fitting? You, of all people, know how important this internship is. You were there cheering me on from almost the beginning. Now you act as if you couldn’t give a shit.”

  “Please believe me when I say that I am sorry for being late to the fitting. I wasn’t intentionally blowing it off to be an asshole. I couldn’t say it in front of the others, but I’ve been trying to give you some space to work through your feelings for me. That’s what I was doing this afternoon when I lost track of time. Then I thought by acting like I didn’t care in front of Jake, he wouldn’t think there had been anything between us.”

  I couldn’t help feeling wounded by the fact he was actually working to avoid me and treating me with kid gloves. But instead of showing my hurt, I plastered a smile onto my face. “I see,” I replied. I then brought the tape measure to his neck. The moment my fingers touched his bare skin, he jumped. “Sorry if my fingers are cold.”

  “It’s fine,” he replied, as I turned away to scribble down the inches.

  “Raise your arms,” I requested. As I brought my arms around Rhys, my face brushed against his chest. I couldn’t stop the tremor that went through me as I inhaled his cologne. While I fitted the tape against his pecs, I remembered what his bare chest looked like, even what it felt like as his body hovered over mine when we were making love. Even though I hated the way he had been acting, I couldn’t deny the attraction I still felt for him. I wanted to rub my body against his, feel his hands on me like they had been once before.

  After pushing away my lustful thoughts, I ordered, “Bend your arm at the elbow and place it on your hip.”

  “Don’t I get a ‘please’?” he asked, with a teasing lilt in his voice.

  “You missed out on ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ because you were late,” I countered, running the tape measure down his bicep.

  He sighed. “I did say I was sorry. I promise the next time you need me for something, I’ll be on time. I swear.”

  Eyeing him, I searched his face and saw true sincerity. I nodded. “Okay then.”

  After getting his waist and hips, I scribbled down the measurements, all the while dreading what I had to do next. For some reason, it hadn’t seemed as mortifying to do Brayden or AJ’s inseam. But I already felt my cheeks warming at the mere thought of doing it to Rhys. It also didn’t help that we were all alone.

  I dropped to my knees in front of him. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Rhys demanded, as he jumped back from me like he had been scalded with hot water.

  Tilting my head up at him, I blew a few strands of hair out of my face. “I’m sorry. I have to get your ins
eam, or the pants won’t fit right.”

  Rhys clenched and unclenched his jaw a few moments before he stepped back in front of me. It didn’t help matters that my face had to be right on eyelevel with his crotch to get the measurements.

  “C-Can you s-spread your legs a little?” With a grunt, Rhys shifted his feet and moved his legs. “Thank you,” I replied, as I brought the tape up to the inside of his groin. The moment my hand brushed against his crotch, Rhys’s hips jerked forward.

  Trying to ignore his reaction, I took the tape and ran it down his leg to the back of his heel. When I started to remove the tape, I sucked in a breath. The front of Rhys’s jeans strained with a half-mast bulge.

  When I jerked my gaze up to his, he shook his head furiously. “Don’t look at me like that!”

  “How am I looking at you?” I whispered.

  He licked his lips. “Like you want to do something about what you caused.”

  Heat warmed my cheeks. “I didn’t mean to. I was just getting your measurements.”

  Reaching down, Rhys grabbed me under my arms and hauled me to my feet. My tape measure fell to the floor between us. As Rhys crushed me against his chest, his wild gaze focused on mine. “I guess you’re happy about that, huh?”

  I didn’t like the tone he was using with me—it wasn’t him. He had never spoken like this to me before. “No, I—”

  “None of the other guys sprung wood while you were touching them, did they?” he demanded. When I shook my head, he said, “I didn’t think they did. They’re not me—they don’t get affected by you like I do.”

  My heart leapt into my throat at his statement. “Y-You do?”

  He slid his hand over my hip to cup my buttocks. When he pressed his bulge against my core, we both gasped at the pleasure. “You tell me. Am I affected by you?”

  “Yes. Very much.”

  Grinding his pelvis into mine again, he asked, “Are you affected by me?”

  “Yes. Always,” I murmured, staring into his hooded eyes.

  With his mouth hovering over mine, Rhys shook his head. “Fuck me, Allison…I thought we were going to be friends.”

  “We are.”

  A defeated look crept into his eyes. “This doesn’t feel like friendship. It feels like much, much more.”

  What the hell? He was giving me whiplash from his emotional yo-yoing back and forth. Did he mean that he really wanted me now? Or was he just teasing me for more of his own sadistic fun? I was starting to think Rhys could be one cruel bastard.

  “Maybe that’s because one of us hasn’t been honest about how they truly feel,” I countered, jerking my chin up.

  As the color drained from his face, Rhys froze his movements against me. Just when he opened his mouth to say something, the door flew open, and Eli burst inside followed by Gabe. “Here we are. Reporting for our fitting,” Eli said, giving me a mock salute.

  Rhys jerked back from me so fast I was sure he was going to end up with whiplash. He spun around to hide the evidence of his arousal from Eli and Gabe. I turned to face the twins. “Hey guys, I’m ready when you are.”

  Glancing past me, Gabe’s brows furrowed at Rhys. “You okay, man?” he asked.

  Instead of replying, Rhys grabbed a shirt off the rack that I was sure he was going to drape in front of his crotch. Plastering on a smile for Gabe, I replied, “It’s all my fault. I accidentally stuck him with one of my pins when I was getting his inseam measurement.” Thank goodness they bought my lie, considering there was no need for pins at the moment.

  Both Eli and Gabe grimaced. Bringing his hand in front of his crotch, Eli said, “You better take extra care around my junk. It’s very precious to me.”

  I laughed. “I’ll try hard to remember that.” When I bent down to scribble in the last of Rhys’s measurements, he finally turned around. The color had returned to his face, and he flashed a smile at the twins.

  “If you guys are done rehearsing, guess it means we’re up. See you later,” Rhys said. He brushed past me without another word.

  While I fought to keep my emotions in check, Eli stepped in front of me, blocking my view of Rhys’s retreating form. He surveyed me with a dead serious expression. “I’m ready for you, Allison. Are you ready for me?” he said, in a throaty, sexy voice.

  I burst out laughing at his teasing. “What?” he questioned, running a hand seductively down his chest to stop right above his belt buckle.

  “You’re an idiot,” Gabe said behind us.

  “Don’t be jealous of the fact my maleness is overpowering Allison right now,” Eli countered.

  My hand flew to my mouth to hide my laughter at his antics. Over the last three and a half years, I’d gotten to know Gabe and Eli somewhat well. It wasn’t until Eli and I were brought together as Jax’s godparents that I got to know him even better. While I’d been trying to avoid Rhys at the baptism, Eli had been more than happy to keep me entertained. We’d spent most of the baptism party together, walking along Jake’s property and talking about anything and everything. Eli was fun to be with, and it didn’t hurt that he was drop-dead gorgeous either. Part of me couldn’t help wishing that I was attracted to Eli on a different level. It might be just the thing to get me to forget about Rhys.

  When I finally recovered, I crooked my finger at him to come a little closer. Just to tease him, I whispered in a seductive voice, “Let’s get your measurements.”

  “No pins, right?” he questioned.

  “It’s fine. I promise.”

  While Eli stood stock still, I got his upper body measurements. When I dropped down to get his inseam, he snickered like an immature teenage boy. “Seriously?” I questioned.

  “Sorry, it’s just I usually buy a girl dinner before I expect her on her knees.”

  “Really?”

  He grinned. “Okay, so I rarely have to buy her dinner first.”

  “You’re a real charmer, aren’t you, Eli?” I muttered.

  Gabe shook his head. “Better be glad Jake wasn’t in here to hear you say that. He’d have your dick for sure.”

  I sighed. “Honestly, Jake has got to get over being so overprotective.” When I started to rise off my knees, Eli reached down to help me up. “Thanks.”

  He gave me a sincere smile. “You’re welcome. And don’t be giving Jake a hard time. It’s only natural for older brothers to feel protective of our sisters. We felt the same way about Abby.”

  Gabe bobbed his head. “Even though she was totally of age, we all almost shit a brick when she ended up on a bus full of strange rockers.”

  I laughed. “But that had a happy ending, didn’t it?”

  “Yes, and that’s exactly the only reason why your brother is still breathing and not six feet under,” Eli replied, with a wink.

  Once I finished with Gabe’s measurements, I gathered up my sketch pad. “Thanks again guys for helping me out with this internship.”

  “We’re glad to do it,” Gabe replied.

  As I started for the door, Eli stopped me. “Where are you going?”

  “To my real summer job—watching your niece and nephew.”

  “Want some help?”

  I raised my brows in surprise. “Don’t you have better things to be doing before the show?”

  He shrugged. “What could be better than spending time with a beautiful girl as well as my flesh and blood?”

  My cheeks warmed at his compliment. With everything happening with Rhys, it felt good to have a desirable guy call me beautiful. “I guess not.”

  Eli grinned as he followed me down the hall to where the kids were corralled. Thankfully, Mia and Lily were watching the twins for me while I was with the guys. But of course, Abby had come straight in from the rehearsal to be with her babies. She had Jules in her arms, rocking her back and forth to quiet her cries.

  “Everything okay?” I asked, after I sat my notebook down on the table. I then eased Jax out of his saucer and took him into my arms.

  “It’s fine. I think she
’s just ready for a nap.” While the room had been booming with noise earlier with AJ playing DJ, it was quiet now. In the far corner at a table away from the others, Lily worked on school work with eight-year-old Jude and five-year-old Melody. Across the room, Mia sat on a pallet full of toys, playing with Bella, Gaby, and Lucy.

  Eli swooped over to take Jules into his arms. “What’s wrong, baby girl?” he questioned. She immediately quieted and stared wide-eyed up at Eli. He made crazy faces at her until Jules was giggling and kicking her legs and feet. I couldn’t help smiling at him along with Jules. Eli certainly had a good heart, and when it came to him and Gabe, he was always much more interested in holding and spending time with the twins.

  A roadie appeared in the doorway with a guitar in his hand. “There you are,” he said to Eli. He then crossed the room over to us.

  “Did you get it fixed?” Eli asked, with an anxious expression.

  The roadie nodded. “Try it out and see for yourself.”

  Eli handed Jules back to Abby. Then he took the guitar in his hand. Easing down on the couch, he propped it on his knee and began strumming some chords. He glanced up and grinned. “Thanks, man. It sounds good as new.”

  “No problem. Let me know if you have any other problems with it,” the roadie replied, before heading out the door.

  “Did you break a string during rehearsals?”

  “Yeah, the E-string, which totally fu—” Eli glanced around at all the kids within earshot. “Totally messed up the entire set of strings. I didn’t know what I was going to do at the show tonight.”

  “Couldn’t you have just borrowed one?” I asked, bouncing Jax on my knee.

  At my simple question, Eli sucked in a horrified breath while Abby rolled her eyes. “Did I say something wrong?”

  Abby shook her head. “It’s just Eli gets a bit OCD about his guitars.”

  “I’m an artist, and artists are always particular about the palette with which they use,” Eli countered.

  “When Jacob’s Ladder was just starting out, his favored guitar got left behind on a tour stop. When Eli realized what happened, he freaked, and although he had an exact replica to play with, he still barely made it through the show without a ton of mistakes.”