Strings of the Heart

by Katie Ashley

  As per my usual morning routine on the bus, Jax and Jules’s hearty morning cries woke me up. Shifting in my roost, I bumped against something warm and hard. My eyes snapped open. Rhys’s body was spooned against mine with one arm snaked around my waist, cupping my breast through my T-shirt. “Shit!” I cried.

  He slowly roused next to me. “What’s wrong?” he asked, forgetting to whisper.

  Elbowing him, I hissed, “Shh!”

  When he tensed beside me, I knew he realized we were in deep shit. It was morning, and he hadn’t gone back to his roost like he was supposed to. Now Jake and Abby were awake along with the twins.

  “What happened to the alarm?” he asked.

  “I don’t know.” I shook my head. “God, we are so screwed.”

  “Look, I’ll just duck into the shower. They’ll never know the difference.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  “Trust me,” he murmured, before bestowing a chaste kiss on my lips.

  While I would have loved to have stayed there making out with him longer, I knew he had to get going. When his arm reached up to pull back the curtain, Jake’s voice caused Rhys to freeze. “Okay, I’ll heat their bottles.” Rhys and I exchanged a panicked look before the bedroom door flung open. As Jake’s feet padded down the hallway, I sucked in a breath. Just when I thought I was in the clear, Jake’s hand tapped on my curtain.

  “Allie-bean?”

  Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. “Uh, yeah?”

  “Your sketch pad is out here on the floor.”

  “Oops, I must’ve knocked it out when I was sleeping,” I replied.

  When Jake started to pull back the curtain, I screeched and blocked his hands. “No, no, I’m not dressed yet!”

  “Jeez, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were so modest.”

  “Yeah, it’s a bad character trait of mine,” I replied.

  “Want me to leave it on the table for you?”

  “Yes, please.”

  Once he was safely down the hall, I exhaled noisily. “That was a close one,” I whispered.

  Rhys nodded. Drawing in a deep breath, he eased back the curtain and peeked outside. He then swung his legs out of the roost and hopped out. Just as I was about to sigh with relief, Jake’s voice once again scared the hell out of me.

  “Dude, what the fuck?” he demanded.

  Peeking through the curtain, I got a great view of Rhys’s bare ass as he stood outside his roost. Peering around him, I watched as Jake stared at Rhys in horror. “What’s the problem?” Rhys asked nonchalantly.

  Waving one of the twins’ bottles around, Jake replied, “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe the fact you’re buck ass naked in the middle of the hallway?”

  Rhys shrugged. “You know I sleep in the buff—I always have. Can I help it if you caught me as I was about to get in the shower?”

  “Have you forgotten Allison’s on this bus? I don’t even want her having to see your naked ass this early in the morning.”

  “Oh shit, man, I forgot. I guess I’ve gotten used to letting it all hang out with Eli and Gabe.”

  Jake grimaced. “Try not to forget again. I don’t want Abby having to see you, either.”

  Sweeping his hands to his naked hips, Rhys asked, “Are you afraid of what might happen if she saw a real man naked?”

  “Trust me, fucker, she’s seen a real man naked. She’s had a real one between her legs, too.”

  “JAKE!” Abby shouted from inside the bedroom. I don’t know if it was because of his comment about their sex life or the fact the twins had started up crying again.

  “Just get your ass in the shower,” Jake mumbled, as he bypassed Rhys to get the bottles to Abby and the twins.

  “Aye, aye, captain,” Rhys teased before ducking into the bathroom. Once Rhys was in the shower and Jake was back in the bedroom, I finally felt like I could breathe again. Reaching down to the foot of my mattress, I unrolled my wadded pajama pants and slid them on. After I hopped out of my roost, I slid my hair into a high ponytail on my way to the kitchen. Once I got there, I turned on the coffee pot. By the time the water had shut off in the bathroom, I’d put in a pan of frozen biscuits and microwaved a plate full of sausage and bacon.

  The bathroom door opened, and Rhys poked his head out. When he saw me, he smiled. “Coast clear?”

  “For the moment.”

  With just a towel wrapped around his waist, Rhys strode over to me. Damn, he looked totally delectable with the water drops glistening on his chest and abs. The towel hung especially low on his hips giving me an eyeful of his cut V and the dusting of hair of his happy trail.

  Before I could protest, he pulled me into his arms and brought his lips to mine. I’m sure I had horrible morning breath, but Rhys didn’t seem to mind. When he pulled away, he grinned. “I enjoyed last night.”

  “The secret sex?”

  He shook his head. “Sleeping with you.”

  I smiled. “Oh, I enjoyed that, too, along with the orgasms.”

  He responded to my sassiness with a low chuckle. The sound of Jules’s happy squeal down the hall caused us to break apart. “I should go shower.”

  “You do that.” When I turned to go to the bathroom, Rhys popped my ass playfully, causing me to let loose with a shriek.

  The bedroom door flung open. “Allison, are you okay?” Jake asked with Jules on his hip.

  “I’m fine.”

  Jake eyed Rhys and me. “But why did you scream?”

  Waving my hand dismissively, I replied, “Oh, I saw a spider, but thankfully, Rhys killed it for me.”

  Rhys nodded his head to go along with my lie. Jake brows lined with confusion, but before he questioned me any further, he sniffed the air appreciatively. “Do I smell bacon?”

  I laughed. Leave it to Jake to have food sidetrack him from potentially busting Rhys and me. “Yeah, I have some biscuits baking, too.”

  “Oh, you are good to your big brother, aren’t you?”

  “You act like I just whipped up a feast from scratch. I’d hardly call microwaving breakfast meat impressive.”

  Slinging an arm across my shoulder, Jake pulled me to his side. “It’s still sweet of you to take care of me and Abby so well.”

  “I’m happy to do it.”

  Jake bestowed a kiss on my cheek. “Aw, I love you, Allie-bean.”

  “I love you, too.” Always the cutest little attention whore ever, Jules squealed and kicked her legs. “And I love you, Miss Jules.” She rewarded me with a giant grin. I then disappeared into the bathroom to grab a quick shower. Under the hot stream of water, muscles I had overworked the night before screamed in agony. With my stomach rumbling, I decided to forgo drying my hair. Instead, I left my wet hair down to air-dry.

  When I came out of the bathroom, I found everyone seated at the table. “I hope you saved me some,” I said, as I slid into the vacant seat next to Rhys.

  Abby grinned. “It was hard with these two and their never ending stomachs.”

  Under the table, Rhys’s hand came to rest on my thigh before gently squeezing. As I took a bite of my bacon, I peeked through the shroud of hair to give him a shy smile. He winked at me before turning back to his plate.

  As Jake brought his plate filled to the brim with seconds back to the table, he gave me the once over. “You feelin’ all right this morning?” he asked.

  Tossing my hair over my shoulder, I nodded. “Sure. Why?”

  “You don’t look like you slept very well, and I thought I heard you moaning several times, like you were having a nightmare.”

  Beside me, Rhys spewed out the sip of orange juice he’d just taken before succumbing to a coughing fit. “Are you okay?” I asked, after thumping his back a few times.

  “Yeah, peachy,” he replied, in a strangled voice.

  For some reason, the twins thought Rhys’s choking fit was the funniest thing in a long time, and they began cackling in their high chairs. Their laughter was infectious and pretty soon we were all laughing
. It was a welcomed distraction from Jake’s question and Rhys’s reaction.

  After Rhys sopped up the orange juice he had spewed over the table, he cleared his throat. “So, uh, you’re going to see Micah today, right?” he said, conveniently changing the subject.

  A wide grin stretched across Abby’s face at the mention of seeing her oldest brother—the one whose place she had taken in Jacob’s Ladder. “Yes, he and his wife, Valerie, are coming to see us before the show.”

  “What’s he doing in Portland?” I asked.

  “He got assigned as a youth minister at a church there. He’s really happy.” Cocking her head thoughtfully, she added, “Sometimes I think he misses the music business a little. We’ve convinced him to play with us tonight.”

  “That’s awesome,” I said.

  Jake grinned. “You’ll be off the hook with the twins today, Allie-Bean. Micah and Valerie haven’t gotten to see the twins in person yet.”

  “Ah, I see.” I couldn’t help feeling a little giddy at the thought of having most of the day free. That meant more time that I could spend with Rhys. Of course, most of it would have to be in secret. Although Rhys was all for telling Jake about us, I wasn’t ready yet. I knew how horrible it was going to be after hearing from Rhys how Jake went off on Eli when he thought he had hurt me. I knew that was a slight drop in the bucket to what he would be feeling about us dating.

  Rhys must’ve shared my excitement of getting to be together because he squeezed my thigh again under the table. A shiver of anticipation ran through me, but considering I was sitting across from Jake and Abby I had to curb it. Now it was just managing to make it to where we could be alone again.

  Three hours later, the bus rolled into the parking lot of Rose Quarter—the arena in Portland. Jake hadn’t been exaggerating about Micah, Valerie, and the twins. The moment we stepped off the bus, they were waiting to each take a twin into their eager arms. After a lot of hugging and some tears on Abby’s part, we were hustled inside to prepare for rehearsals.

  With slight disappointment, I watched Rhys and Runaway Train take the stage first to rehearse. I hung back to watch them since I rarely got to see their shows now that I was watching the twins. Just the sight of Rhys playing the bass made me flush. It took me back to his shower in Savannah when he had played me just like his cello. The man had some masterful fingers, for damn sure.

  Once Runaway Train finished, Rhys came to join me below the stage. I gave him a beaming smile. “You guys sounded amazing, as always.”

  “It’s just a rehearsal.”

  Nudging him with my hip, I said, “Don’t be bashful. You should be proud of your talents.”

  “Thanks for loving our crappy rehearsal renditions,” Rhys replied, with a teasing grin.

  “Ass,” I muttered, under my breath.

  “Hmm, what I’d like to do what that mouth of yours,” he murmured.

  As Rhys leaned a little closer to me, two roadies interrupted by hustling past us. Rhys gave a frustrated grunt. “Never a fucking moment alone.”

  Our attention was drawn to the stage where Jake and Abby were starting up their duet rehearsals. Whenever they were in a city that had a song named after it, they liked to use it during their duet time. With us being in Portland, they were aptly singing Jack White and Loretta Lynn’s Portland, Oregon.

  When Micah joined Jacob’s Ladder out onstage, I wondered how Valerie was doing with Jax and Jules. “I should go backstage and check on the twins.”

  “I’m sure they’re fine with Micah and Valerie fawning over them.” Rhys gave me a slightly pleading look. “Stay here with me.”

  With his expression and request, it was a no-brainer what I was going to do. As the strong beat of the guitars started up, I stayed rooted to the spot next to Rhys. Turning my attention to the stage, I watched Jake and Abby begin to perform. After wagging his brows suggestively, Jake closed the gap between him and Abby in a determined swagger. With a cocky grin, he brought the microphone to his lips. “In a booth in the corner with the lights down low, I was movin’ in fast; she was takin’ it slow. Uh-huh.”

  Abby gave Jake a teasing grin while sashaying slightly away from him. I couldn’t help smiling at their stage antics. Of course, it just went to show how very much in love they still were. “Well, I looked at him and caught him lookin’ at me. I knew right then we were playin’ free in Oregon.”

  The moment after Abby finished her lines I could feel Rhys’s white-hot stare burning through me. When I turned my head, his lust-filled eyes narrowed on mine. With a slight jerk of his head that no one else would have noticed, he signaled that he wanted us to be alone. And right then.

  With my heartbeat thrumming wildly in my chest, I turned and started out of the auditorium to the dressing rooms. I didn’t even have to look back to know that Rhys was right on my heels. Thankfully for us, the hallway was clear. His body pressed up against mine only momentarily before he shoved me inside Runaway Train’s dressing suite. As one of his arms snaked around my waist, drawing me flush against him, the other went behind us to lock the door. With our tongues battling each other and our hands running over each other’s bodies, I could barely catch my breath.

  As he started backing me across the room to either the table or the chair, Rhys pulled his mouth from mine to start kissing a hot trail down my chin. His breath scorched against my neck. “Fuck, Allison. You drive me wild,” he mumbled, as I fumbled with the button and zipper on his jeans. “I think I could have you every fucking day and never get enough.”

  I giggled. “That’s good to hear.”

  Pushing my dress up over my hips, his hand then brushed against the front of my panties. A smirk stretched across his face. “Hmm, already soaked for me?”

  “Yes,” I panted, as he began working his fingers over my mound.

  “I must drive you pretty wild too, huh?”

  I grinned. “Oh, yes.”

  After tugging my panties down my thighs and off my legs, Rhys grabbed me by the waist and hoisted me onto the makeup table. The table-top felt cool under my buttocks as Rhys’s fingers teased along my thighs, causing me to shiver. I leaned forward and pushed his jeans and boxers farther down his hips. “I want you inside me. Right now,” I ordered.

  He chuckled. “Your wish is my command.” With one hand, he reached between us and took hold of his erection while his other hand slid around my waist, flattening against my back. He then pulled me closer to the edge of the table where I was rewarded with feeling his dick rub against my slick slit. As his mouth met mine, he continued to tease me with rubbing his erection up and down my clit. The friction began to drive me mad. Tearing my lips away from his, I panted, “Now, Rhys.”

  He obliged me by thrusting hard into me until he buried himself balls deep inside my walls. I moaned in pleasure, grabbing the strands of hair at the back of his neck and tugging hard. This caused Rhys to hiss as he pulled out to slam back into me. He did that delicious torture several more times, causing me to shriek. “Shh, babe, you gotta keep a lid on it or someone is going to come in here.”

  As he sped up his pace, my back banged into the mirror. Slick skin slapping together meshed with the sound of the bottles on the table crashing and clanking together. Reaching behind him, I grabbed his ass and pressed him tighter to me. As he sank deeper, Rhys moaned and bit down on my shoulder, causing me to shudder. “Harder, oh fuck me harder, Rhys,” I cried, clutching at him.

  At that moment, the dressing room door flew open. I screamed before ducking my head into Rhys’s chest. His hips froze in mid-thrust. When his eyes met mine, I could see him secretly wondering how the hell someone had gotten in with the door locked.

  At the sound of the voice that came from behind Rhys, I shuddered violently. “Oh, fuck, man, I’m sorry,” Jake said. Rhys didn’t respond. Instead, his chest rose and fell in heavy pants.

  Clearing his throat, Jake said, “Look, I hate like hell to interrupt you, but my throat is still giving me hell. I had a roadie unlock
the door, so I could get my spray.”

  Pulling his hips back, Rhys’s already deflated erection slipped from my body. As he fumbled for his pants while still concealing my identity, a low chuckle rumbled through Jake’s chest. “Don’t let me stop you, man. I’ll grab this and be out of your hair in no time. I mean, it sure as hell ain’t the first time I’ve caught you banging before.”

  A chill went through me at Jake’s words, and under any other circumstances, I might’ve jerked away from Rhys. But I couldn’t. I had to rely on him to keep both of us out of trouble. “Whatever,” Rhys muttered.

  To continue hiding me, Rhys twisted around when Jake appeared at the counter. Just the thought that Jake was close enough to touch me sent the shakes through my body. I heard the shuffling of items on the table before Jake said, “Got it.”

  “Fabulous. Now will you get the hell out of here?” Rhys growled.

  “I’m going, I’m going. My apologies to you and your lady friend. By the looks of it, she’s mortified by my presence at the moment.”

  Rhys didn’t reply. Instead, his chest kept rising and falling in harsh, heavy breaths. When I finally dared to peek over Rhys’s shoulder, I thankfully saw Jake’s retreating form. As he strode across the dressing room, he tossed the bottle of spray up and down in his right hand. After shifting the bottle to his left hand, he reached out for the doorknob. Relief flooded me, and I started to exhale the breath I’d been holding. But then fear gripped me again when Jake’s hand froze over the doorknob. A tremor shuddered through his body.

  “No. Fuck no,” he muttered.

  Rhys’s shoulders tensed beneath my hands. We exchanged a panicked glance. Almost in slow motion, Jake turned around. When I dared to look at him, his expression was a mixture of agony and fury.

  “This is NOT fucking happening!” he growled.

  Rhys spun around, holding up his hands. “Look, it’s not what you think.”

  Jake’s eyes widened. “Not what I think? How the fuck could I possibly misinterpret the situation? I caught you with your fucking pants around your fucking ankles screwing my…” He winced in agony. “My baby sister.”