Music of the Heart (16 page)

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 asshole?”

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 asshole? 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.”

I giggled. “I thought as much.”

As we sped out of the bus lot and onto the highway, my curiosity about Bree got the better of me.

Fidgeting in my seat, I turned to Frank. “So what’s the deal with Jake and Bree?”

He exhaled noisily. “That girl is nothing but trouble, and the last thing Jake needs is more trouble

in his life. I mean, a part of me feels sorry for her. It wasn’t like she had the best parents in the

world.”

“Oh?” I asked casually, trying to goad him for more information.

“You haven’t had the pleasure of meeting her father yet?”

“He works for Runaway Train?”

“Yep. Lyle’s a roadie like me.” Frank wrinkled his nose in disgust. “Well, you could say he’s only

risen as far as he has by using Bree to get to rockers.”

I gasped. “Seriously? He like…pimps her?”

Frank chuckled. “Oh Angel, I can’t believe you just said that.” He glanced over at me. “It’s not like

he’s officially prostituting her. She has always willing gone to all the guys and offered herself. She

joins Lyle along the stops—somehow she has the money to travel as much as she does. Lately, she has

her eye on one particular rocker, and no one else will do, which couldn’t make her daddy prouder.”

A knot suddenly formed in my throat, and I hated myself for it. “Jake?”

He nodded. “Of course, Jake really doesn’t care about her—he’s never cared about any of the girls

he’s been with since the band made it big. They’re just objects for him to fulfill a need.” He gave a

wry smile. “And does that boy ever have needs.”

My mind was assaulted by the horrible flashback of Jake’s bedroom antics. “Yeah, he does. Too

bad that gets in the way of him actually being a decent guy.”

Frank jerked his gaze away from the road to pin me with a surprised stare. “Don’t tell me you’re

falling for Jake’s charms”

I squirmed in my seat. “I just said he wasn’t a total jerk.” Frank obviously cared for Jake, so it

wasn’t like I could say everything I was feeling about him, which mainly consisted of what a

complete and total asshole Jake was. So to curb my tongue I tried focusing on Jake’s breakdown last

night and our songwriting session rather than his behavior with Bree. “I mean, any guy who loves and

adores his mother so much can’t totally be terrible to all women, right?”
Obviously he can by the

way he just pretended to be interested in you and then tossed you aside for someone who will give

him what he really wants—sex.

“I’m glad you can see through his tough façade to the real man inside. I mean, I love him like he

was one of my sons, and I couldn’t do that if I didn’t know what he was really like.”

We rode along the highway in silence for a few minutes before Frank cleared his throat. From the

way he fidgeted in his seat, I knew he was about to bring up something that made him beyond

uncomfortable. “You know, Jake could really use a girl like you.”

I stared at him in surprise. “I would laugh, but you’re not joking, are you?” When he shook his

head, I mumbled under my breath, “First AJ and now you.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“I’m more than serious about what I said. Jake is going through such a difficult time right now, and

what’s to come is even worse. He doesn’t need darkness like Bree.” He turned to smile at me. “He

needs light, and damn if you don’t have such a beautiful light about you, Angel.”

“Yeah, well, considering he asked me to join him and Bree for sex ten minutes ago, I don’t think he

truly cares anything about my light unless it’s between my legs!”

As his eyes bulged in horror, Frank sucked in a breath. “Oh God,” I murmured before ducking my

head in mortification. Had I actually just told Frank that? Twenty-four hours on a bus with a bunch of

raunchy guys had completely taken over all of the manners my parents had instilled in me. “I’m so

sorry. That was totally uncalled for.”

“I, erm,…” he stammered.

Warmth filled my cheeks. “What I should have said is that while I appreciate the sentiment, Jake is

never going to be interested in a girl like me. We’re so different, and we want different things out of

the people we date.” I winced. “I mean, Jake doesn’t date.”

Frank took a few moments to absorb my comments. “He could if he was given the chance.”

I snorted contemptuously. “Are we talking about the same guy here?”

“Why do I have the sneaking suspicion that your feelings and reactions might have been a tad

different if we’d had this conversation this morning?”

Before I could bite my lip or hold my tongue, I blurted, “I’m not being a spiteful little bitch. You

don’t know how much it hurts that he ignored me all morning and then chose Bree, okay?”

“Aw, Angel, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have mentioned anything.”

“It’s okay. You were just trying to look out for Jake. But even if he hadn’t done what he did and

actually gave me the time of day for longer than a minute, I don’t know if I could deal with the Brees

of Jake’s life.”

Frank pulled into a teeming Wal-Mart parking lot. After he put the SUV in park, he cut the ignition

and turned to me. “Look, when it comes right down to it, I’m just an old fart widower who doesn’t

know much but the love of my high school sweetheart. But I’ve seen the way Jake looks at you—”

When I opened my mouth to protest, he held up his hand. “And no, it’s more than just you’re a piece

of meat he wants to devour.” He smiled. “He’s seen past the pretty packaged outside to see the beauty

within. I guarantee whatever he was doing with Bree this afternoon was about more than just his

needs. He wanted to get you off his mind.” At my continued apprehension, he swung the keys back and

forth on his finger. “So do an old man a favor and keep an open mind along with an extra forgiving

heart when it comes to Jake, okay?”

I fiddled with the door handle, trying to avoid Frank’s intense stare. “I can try, but I’m not making

any promises.”

A wide grin curved on Frank’s face. “Good, I’m glad to hear it. And if it doesn’t work out, I’ve got

a son not too much older than you.”

I laughed. “Do you ever stop with the matchmaking?”

“Nope.” He opened his door. “Come on. Let’s go get the boys some food.”

***