Strings of the Heart

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 bu**ocks. 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?”