Cadence (Ruby Riot Book 1) (17 page)

“I appreciate your concern for me, Bryn, but I’m fine.” Tegan appears behind him and crosses to me. She cuddles next to me and winds an arm around my waist, placing her hand in the back pocket of my jeans and squeezing. “Jax understands: the first hint he’s screwing me around and this is over. Besides, we’re not bloody getting married, just being exclusive.”

“Right.” Bryn’s voice is as doubtful as his eyes. “Good luck ‘cause you’re going to need it.”

I stare after Bryn as he heads back to his friends. “That it?”

Tegan smiles and nuzzles my neck. “He’s right though. I hope you know what you’re getting into.”

“Well, according to him, I don’t.”

“You know what we do, Jax?” Tegan slips her hand into my other pocket and pulls out my phone. “We control this. Me and you.”

“How?”

“Take a picture of us. Tweet it. Instagram. Everywhere. I’ll do the same. That way we’ll steal the story before the paparazzi get hold of it. We’ll already have given the world pictures they hope to sell. Why should they make money from being bottom feeders?”

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing? You’re not a PR expert.”

“Despite what Tina thinks, I know a hell of a lot about how this crap works. My brother’s job means I have a special interest in the media and fame. I wrote a paper on it for my A Levels and I’m intending to study media.”

“Oh. Right. I forget you’re smart as well as beautiful,” I say and squeeze her ass.

She smiles. “If I’m dating Jax Lewis, the world’s going to know, and they should leave us the hell alone.”

“I don’t think they’ll want to mess with you!”

“I’d like to see them try.”

As we laugh and aim my phone camera at our heads, pose and take pictures, unease edges in. A small voice in my head wonders if this is going to work.

Have I overestimated what I’m capable of?

Chapter Twenty-Three

TEGAN

Since I arrived on tour with Blue Phoenix and Ruby Riot, my life shifted gear. The world around blurs with the speed things move; my old reality left in the wake. Each day brings a new intensity as normality retreats.

As if life couldn’t turn crazier, now I’m dating a rock star.

Jax told the room - and the world - that we're a couple. The thought repeats in my head, the tingling in my chest and stomach a mix of excitement and apprehension. I never believed he would, despite his words this morning, and I didn’t expect him to choose to do this here. His words to Bryn shell-shocked me at first until I caught up with what this meant. Jax knocked a hole through my defences and with those words took hold of my heart. I can’t deny I’ve fallen for him anymore.

Keen to ensure he's serious, and to show myself I am too, I suggested we shared a picture across social media. Somebody else in the room will by the end of tonight if we don’t. I want a picture with Jax. I want the world to see I'm his and he's mine, and they should keep away.

The desire for Jax pushes through my body; a body that's now aching for his attention and touch. All my words about keeping a physical distance evaporate; each kiss we share harder to pull away from.

How can just a few words spoken by him to somebody else, not me, have such a huge impact?

Following Bryn's interruption, we shifted to a quieter corner near the edge of the bar and now stand with our drinks resting on the high wooden table. Jax has an arm around my waist, stroking my skin with his thumb beneath my t-shirt, and even this chaste touch is leading to distinctly unchaste reactions elsewhere. I have one hand in the back pocket of his jeans. The awareness of the rest of the room retreats with each look or touch and I don’t want to let him go.

I bury my face into his shirt and place my lips on the exposed skin at the top of his chest. Closing my eyes, I breathe his scent, the one that evokes memories of our kisses and the promise of more held back each time.

“Are we staying or leaving?” he whispers in my ear.

I place one more kiss and step back. “Leaving to go where?”

“Wherever you want. A different place?” Jax pauses and tugs his bottom lip into his mouth. “Or the hotel?”

I fight a smile. “Oh, tired already?”

“No way. It's just more private there.” I open my mouth to respond and he interrupts. “I mean less people around if we wanted to go to the bar - or something.”

“Or something?”

Jax brushes his mouth against mine. “Or something.”

I wrap myself around Jax, hand still in his back pocket, and crash my mouth on his. I haven't had much to drink, but the situation is intoxicating. I want him. For a few minutes, I forget that we're in public, hands on skin and deep kisses as we tangle our tongues and bodies.

“Whoa, man, how many times have I told you to get a room when you're all over a chick?” asks a voice from behind me.

Will's voice interrupts my moment with an unpleasant reminder and I pull away. When I turn my head to face him, Will's unfocused eyes widen.

“Shit. Sorry. Didn't realise it was you,” he says.

“Hello, Will,” I say icily.

He continues to stare at us before wiping his jacket sleeve across his face. “I thought she was a secret? Guess it's not anymore!” Will's voice is louder than usual and he steadies himself with a hand on the table next to us.

“No,” I reply.

“What does the big man think?” Will angles his head in Bryn's direction.

Jax breaks his silence. “Didn't think you were coming here tonight.”

Will pulls a face. “Yeah, my bloody brother decided he wanted to. Like, practically dragged me away from the bar. Remember that chick who was there? The one with...” He glances at me. “Yeah. I was in for some fun with her, and Nate fucking leaves and I had to go after him.”

“Poor you,” I say.

Will makes a humph noise and looks around. “Wouldn't have bothered, but he's called the Twin Code now.”

“Twin Code?” I ask.

“Nate's wasted,” Will replies simply. “We look out for each other. Unspoken rule: whatever we're doing, we help each other. I couldn't let him leave on his own.”

“One of many weird things about them,” says Jax.

Will flicks Jax's nose. “We look after you too. Jesus, I could tell some stories about Jax -”

“Yeah. Okay. Maybe not right now,” Jax interrupts.

Will appraises us, grins, and claps Jax on the back. “You and Tegan, huh? Nice job.”

“Where's Nate?” I ask.

“Left him over there.” He turns unsteadily. “Or he was. Fuck.” For a minute, Will stares in drunken confusion at the tables across the room. “Screw it he's probably gone for a piss. I'll grab beers.”

Unsure if Will's talking to himself or us, I watch as he gives Jax a drunken wink and sidles by.

“You're pink,” says Jax in a low voice.

I shift so the light nearby no longer illuminates us. “No, I'm not.”

He winds his hands in my hair and pulls my head to his. “I'm fed up of interruptions.”

“So we leave?” I run my tongue along his parted lips and he makes a low noise in his throat before closing his lips over mine again.

At this rate, we won't make it back to the hotel.

With enormous self-control, I free myself and take Jax’s hand firmly in mine, the one already sneaking up my side.

“Jax, we have an audience. I know we want everybody to think we're a couple but -”

“Let's go,” he interrupts and before I can say anything else, he tightens his grip on my hand and drags me in the direction of the open doorway.

We pause in the red-carpeted hallway outside the main room of the VIP area. One direction leads to stairs descending into the public part of the restaurant, and in the other are the VIP restrooms I recently visited.

“I'll call someone to bring a car round,” says Jax and I giggle. “What?”

“You, Mr. Important who can click his fingers and five minute later have a personal chauffeur waiting.”

Jax grins. “Fucking awesome, right?”

The heavy sound of a door closing at the opposite end of the hallway behind me interrupts and Jax's eyes widen as he looks over my shoulder. “Tegan,” he whispers.

“What?”

I turn. Nate and Riley stand outside the restroom door. Riley's hair has escaped the usual ponytail, strands falling across her face. She carries her high-heeled shoes in one hand and straightens the strap of her short blue dress with the other. When Nate spots us, he steps away from her and crosses his arms. In response, Riley's mouth falls open and she shoves him. I can’t hear what she mutters at him but I’m betting it’s not pleasant. Not looking at anybody, Riley drops her shoes on the floor, slips her feet in, and stalks in our direction.

“How's your evening going, Riley?” asks Jax as she passes.

“Good, thanks. You?” Riley stops and looks at our joined hands. “Oh. Cute. Were you two waiting for the bathrooms?” Riley jerks her head in Nate's direction.

Nate now rests against the wall, staring at the carpet, as if Riley doesn’t exist. What a douche.

“Didn't realise you were occupied. The bathroom I mean,” replies Jax. I squeeze his fingers, warning him to stop teasing.

“You can't have waited here long, we were only in there a few minutes,” she says loudly in Nate’s direction.

I expected Riley to deny what's obviously happened but that's clearly not occurring. “Have you...” I begin, “With -”

“Ask him,” she retorts and walks away.

“Nate! Dude! Smiley Riley?” calls Jax as Riley heads back into the function room. “Seriously? No way!”

Once Riley is out of sight, Nate approaches and points at me. “What about you and her?”

Jax scoffs. “Hardly a comparison!”

“Excuse me? Standing here!” I retort.

Nate looks at me, and gives Jax a sly smile. “We can compare notes later if you like?”

How drunk is this dickhead? Jax’s fingers crush mine. “Will's right, you're shit-faced otherwise I'd smack you for that.”

“Sure, you don't usually shy away from giving us a run down.” He leans closer to me. “Jax has a ratings system.”

“Shut the fuck up!” snaps Jax.

I stiffen. “What?”

“Chicks. Scores out of ten. Their looks, their skill at -” Nate is interrupted by Jax smacking him in the chest, and he stumbles back. “Whoa, calm down.”

“I haven’t done that recently.”

“Yeah, you boring bastard.”

“Looks like you failed to impress Riley!” says Jax.

“That, as they say, is a long fucking story.” He adjusts his jeans. “Just not tonight.”

I pull a face and look away. Am I seeing a typical night out for Ruby Riot? Nate and Will strike me as guys who live life to the max in every way. I’m pulled in my their sense of humour and exuberance, but I’ve never seen this side of them. The tall guy covered in piercings, tattoos wrapped around his arms looks unfazed, as if getting caught in this situation is a common occurrence. What’s weirder is I wouldn’t put Nate down as somebody straight-laced Riley would go for. Maybe that’s the appeal. Either that or she’s as drunk as he is.

“Gotta go. Have fun kiddos,” Nate says and saunters away.

“Ohmigod!” I splutter, staring after him.

Jax pushes a hand into his hair. “Um. About the things he said...”

“Which bit? Bloody hell, Jax. Is this what you guys do?”

“Sometimes.”

“Ugh!” I start to walk in the direction Riley went but he catches my arm.

“Don't listen to him. I wouldn't do that with you.”

“Can we leave now?”

Jax drags me to him and looks at me warily. “You're not going to let this spoil things with us are you?”

“Because Nate screwed Riley in the bathrooms? None of my business.”

Nate's words about Jax rating girls after he has sex with them repeat in my mind.

“Okay?” he asks.

“Trying to be.”

“You know you're worth more than that, right?”

“Damn straight, I wouldn't have sex in there!” I wrinkle my nose. “Just… eww.”

“No, I mean the other thing Nate said.”

I pull my hand away. “When did you last have sex with somebody, Jax?”

Without taking his eyes off mine, he replies, “Not since the tour started. That's why he's calling me a boring bastard.”

“Really?”

“Why doubtful? I was going to the night in Portugal, I admit that. But you saw what happened. Then... You. I wanted you.” He says the words in a low voice, stepping forward to wind an arm around my waist again.

“And? You want lots of girls. Why stop because of me?”

“I knew you were off-limits and at first I thought that's why I wanted you.”

I push his hand from my waist. “Is that why you’re doing this?”

“Hell, no. I started to obsess about you everyday and couldn’t wait to see you. Then you snuck into my dreams at night too. I wanted you and knew I'd have no chance if I umm... indulged with other girls.”

I smile at his clumsy attempt to tell me how he feels. If he'd said this a day ago I wouldn't have believed him, but there’s sincerity in his eyes. “You don't have to sweet talk me, Jax. You made that clear tonight, risking life and limb telling Bryn.”

He tips my chin. “I'm a lucky bastard because I got the girl. I intend to keep hold of her. Will and Nate can stick to their groupies, I'm only interested in you.”

“And now the world knows.”

“And now the world knows,” he repeats softly and kisses me. “Let’s go.”

We head down the red-carpeted stairs, into the bright lights and hubbub of the main diner. Eighties rock competes with chatter, and diners sit at chrome tables beneath the rock memorabilia held in cases on the wall. When I arrived a couple of hours ago, the place was half-full, and now every table is occupied. A waiter passes us, singing along to the music and the smell of fried food reaches me from the plate he carries.

A group of girls in a booth at the opposite side of the restaurant looks up from their colourful cocktails, zoning in on us. On Jax. I can't hear over the noise; but if I could, I'd hear the teenage girl squeal at her friend. I freeze as I scan the rest of the room. The number of people looking at us, some with more interest than others, unnerves me.

I take Jax's hand and he pulls it away. My stomach sinks and I'm about to walk off when he wraps an arm around my shoulder instead. “Come on.”

I’m thankful the restaurant is full and hope nobody is about to pounce on us in a crowded, public place. I allow Jax to manoeuvre me to the large entrance, grateful for his protective embrace. Before we reach the doors, the young girl from the table appears and steps in front of us. She thrusts a menu at Jax, hand shaking as she holds a pen too.

“Can you sign this?” she asks breathlessly.