Music of the Heart

Fifteen minutes passed before a red-faced and out-of-breath Brayden appeared. He stalked up the stairs, muttering something under his breath. After flopping down across from me, he jerked up the magazine on the table. With his shaky hands, I could tell he was pissed about something.

It was then Jake staggered up the bus stairs with a leggy, dark-haired goddess. I couldn’t help but gasp as pain crisscrossed through my chest. The sight of him with another girl—one that I couldn’t possibly compete with when it came to sex appeal—caused me to heave in a few desperate breaths. The knife I felt that was wedged in my chest twisted further at the sight of him so wasted. The Jake swaying to and fro in front of me wasn’t the Jake I’d held as he cried or the one who I had made music with this morning. But it hurt just as bad that he had forgotten my very existence. Almost too quickly to believe, he had cemented back up any of his walls I’d managed to break down.

Good one, Abby. You actually thought by comforting Jake and writing a song with him he would magically be a different guy? Fat freakin’ chance there. Jake Slater will always only want one thing from women, and that’s sex. He’s like the Sexual Major leagues, and you’re not even a farm team.

I was jolted out of my self-deprecating internal monologue by the goddess’s arm snaking around Jake’s waist while her tongue licked up his neck. His gaze flickered over to mine before he turned back to the guys. “I call the bedroom.”

“You had the bedroom yesterday,” AJ argued.

“Easy, grumpy, I won’t need it that long,” Jake replied, a sexy smile curving on his lips.

“You underestimate your stamina, babe,” the dark haired girl replied. I couldn’t help the squeak that escaped my lips when her hand left his waist to cup his fly, working Jake over his jeans.

“Take it to the bedroom. There’s a lady present,” Brayden snapped over his magazine.

When the bulge started to grow, Jake cut his glassy eyes over to me again. I flushed and buried my head in my book. “You’re welcome to join us, Angel. Bree doesn’t mind sharing me, do you?”

I jerked my chin up. So this was Bree—the groupie he had mistaken me for in his bed.

She eyed me and shrugged. “As long as I get off, I don’t care.” But her body language told me that she was all about keeping Jake for herself, and she would as soon scratch my eyes out as let me touch Jake.

“Whatta ya say? Want me to break you in real quick? Show you what it’s like to be with a man finally?” Jake slurred.

I gasped in horror while AJ shot off the couch. A low growl erupted from his throat before he shoved Jake with all his might, sending Jake staggering backwards. “You’re a drunken jackass! You’re stepping over the line with Abby, not to mention your bargain with her.”

“Oh really?” Jake countered.

AJ cocked his brows. “Yeah, especially after last night, not to mention this morning.”

The thoughts of what had transpired between us seemed to sober Jake a little, and his smirk faded. A combination of remorse and embarrassment entered his face.

I patted AJ’s arm that was shaking from anger. “Stop, it’s okay. While I appreciate the machismo ferocity, I can take care of myself.” Rising up from my chair, I then stepped in front of Jake. “Thank you so much for your offer, but your vile suggestion of ‘breaking me in’, as well as the drunken state you’re currently in, not only makes me want to vomit, but it makes my skin crawl too. Trust me that you would be the last man on earth I would ever let be my first.”

Jake glowered back at me before he jerked Bree forward down the narrow hallway and then slammed the bedroom door.

“He can be such a prick,” Rhys grumbled from the couch.

Trying not to show how hurt I was, I quickly added, “Yeah, but he’s hurting a lot right now about his mom.”

AJ threw his hands up in exasperation. “So that excuses him for getting drunk off his ass before noon and for treating you like a sleazy ass**le?”

I forced a reassuringly smile to my lips at his skeptical expression. “It’s fine. Really.”

But then it became very plain that the noises from the bedroom were so not fine. Moans and shrieks echoed through the cabin from the bedroom. A warm flush poured over my cheeks and inched down my neck. I gripped the edges of my book tighter, desperately wanting to crawl into a hole and die rather than to hear the sounds of Jake screwing Bree. There was also the fact that the guys seemed totally unaffected by the noises coming from the bedroom.

“Here. These seem to help,” AJ suggested, handing me two ear plugs.

I eyed them as Jake gave another long groan. “Oh yeah, suck me harder, babe!”

“Um, on second thought, I think I’ll go get some fresh air.” I scrambled off the couch and raced down the aisle. The moment I got off the bus I exhaled noisily. Bending over, I rested my elbows on my knees and tried to clear my mind of what I had heard. Once I recovered, I started putting as much distance between myself and the bus as possible.

My mind whirled with out-of-control thoughts. What was I thinking agreeing to stay on the bus with three perfect strangers and one unimaginable, insensitive, womanzing ass**le? I can’t do this. I cannot look at Jake again, least of all stay on the bus with him. I’ll just give in and lose the bet.

Craning my neck, I tried to decipher whether this would be a good enough place for me to stay when the bus pulled out. I scowled as I realized we were out in the middle of nowhere and probably miles and miles away from the nearest airport. I seriously doubted taxis came out here either.

A black SUV screeched up beside me. Thankfully the window rolled down to reveal Frank. “Hey Angel, what are you doing out here?”

“Oh, I, um, just needed a little fresh air.”

He gave me a knowing smile. “Jake getting frisky with Bree?”

I flushed while ducking my head. “You could say that.”

He chuckled. “Come on then. You can go into town with me and get some groceries. I swear those boys go through food faster than I can buy it!”

“Sounds like my brothers,” I replied with a smile. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”

“It’d be my pleasure.”

“Okay then.” I opened the door on the Tahoe and hopped inside. After I buckled my seatbelt, Frank gave me a wink. “You know my motives weren’t all sincere, Angel.”

“Oh really?”

He grinned as he put his foot down on the accelerator. “Yeah, I figure the trip will go faster if I put you to work with the list.”