Cadence (Ruby Riot Book 1) (3 page)

“Are you both drunk?” I ask, surveying their larger than usual grins and edgier humour.

“No more than usual,” replies Nate.

I tap my fingers on the table. “Are you listening to me? Who else is called Hughes?”

“Bryn?” suggests Will.

I arch a brow.

Will grips Nate's arm and descends into hysterics. “She’s his sister, isn't she? Oh, man!”

Nate catches on and clutches Will’s arm in return. “Sister!”

Following shared laughter, they appraise my fantasy girl and launch into a rundown of her qualities.

“Keep your voice down. I don't think Bryn's happy about her being here,” I mutter.

“I'm having a closer look.” Nate jumps to his feet.

“No,” I warn.

“While I buy the beers, since you failed.” He winks and saunters off.

“Jesus,” I mutter under my breath and watch proceedings from behind my fringe.

Bryn turns to speak to Nate as he arrives at the bar, his large frame blocking Nate’s view of Tegan. Tegan shoves Bryn in the back who moves away and I watch gestures of introduction before Bryn resumes his guard dog position. Bryn isn't what bothers me. I focus on Tegan, watching how she reacts to Nate. Is she a flirt? Do her eyes linger on him as long as they did on me?

No, they don’t. A smug feeling joins the stress of the situation.

Once Bryn's back is turned, she switches her interest to our table. Caught in the act, I keep Tegan’s gaze long enough to show that her brother’s attitude isn't bothering me. Tegan runs a hand down her face until she’s touching the plump bottom lip I want to tug into my mouth and bite.

Shit.

A shape obscures my view as Nate ducks down, his nose practically touching mine, breaking my daydreams about Tegan.

“Is she in slow motion?” asks Nate, setting down the bottles he’s fetched from the bar.

“What?”

“You know, like the movies.” Nate steps back and waves his head around as if fanning hair around his face, throwing an exaggerated pout in my direction. “The hot girl, the soft focus, sexy music in the background.”

Will snorts laughter and takes his beer. “So? Opinion?” he asks his brother.

“Yeah.” He takes the stool next to Will and sits. “Out of your league.”

“Yours too then since we look the same!” retorts Will.

“You challenging me? Bring it on!”

I shove Nate in the shoulder. “Bryn's sister? Did you miss that part?”

“Shame. Never mind, bro, plenty more chicks out there in the next few weeks.” Nate looks back over to Bryn and Tegan. “I'd steer clear of Tegan if I were you. She has one of those faces.”

“What's wrong with her face?”

“A face like hers says 'I'm gonna break your heart'. Believe me, I know.”

“Yeah, and look at Bryn. He has a face that says 'I'm gonna break your arms if you touch my sister',” adds Will. The brothers high five each other at their shining wit. Yeah, funny, and probably true.

“Just forget it,” I mutter and turn my back on Tegan.

“So is she visiting Bryn for tonight?” asks Will. “Or is she joining the tour?”

“No idea. Can we change the subject?”

“Aw,” says Will with a pout. “Poor Jax, another girl he wants and can’t have.”

Nate shoves me in the shoulder. “Drink up and let's go. What was that club called? The one where they told us, if we went to the place, a night of free drinks would head in our direction. Remember how many chicks camped outside the airport? You were one of the reasons why. And, hey, I’m trying some of the local delicacies, you should too.” He slings me a sly smile. “You won’t even need to tell them who you are. Man of the moment, Jax Lewis will be surrounded by a selection of pussy. I'm sure you'll soon forget about her.”

I make a noise of agreement and down half my beer in one go.

The slender girl with the body I’d kill to get my hands on remains at the bar with her brother, no longer looking in my direction.

Forget about her? Hell, no.

Not without a lot of distraction. “Good idea. Come on.”

Chapter Three

TEGAN

Who needs bodyguards when Bryn and a coerced Liam flank me as I approach the club? The Blue Phoenix bassist grumbles at Bryn as we approach the crowd. The press caught wind of where the band members intend to go tonight and when we arrive at
Nova
, Lisbon’s most exclusive venue, a barrage of questions and camera flashes await.

Housed in an old building in the old docks at the edge of the city,
Nova
overlooks the river, the setting drab compared to the beauty of Lisbon’s historic buildings. Tomorrow I’ll explore the city, use my spare time doing something other than trail around after the band, or waste the day in a hotel room. One of the reasons I came on tour was to explore the places we stay, not just the bars.

Ignoring the press, I lift my chin and stride through the cordoned-off area toward the venue entrance, until I catch a question thrown at me from the shadows.

“Does Bryn Hughes have a new girl? What happened to the other one?”

I halt, make a hundred eighty degree turn, and move so I’m practically nose to nose with a girl around my age, short brown hair and a sly smile on her face. On the other side of the rope, her phone is at the ready, waiting to record my response. Journalist.

“I’m his sister, you moron!”

Bryn appears and grips my elbow. “Jesus, Tegan. You can’t talk to these people! Especially not like that!” With a sharp look, he pulls me toward the open doors of the club.

“I don’t want people thinking we’re together!” I retort and drag my arm from his. “Too many of the tour crew already think I’m your girlfriend, thanks to you.”

The volume of the crowd around rises and I glance back at the other members of our party heading from the car park. The reason for the commotion, Jax, pauses for photos, signing posters and books waved in his direction, and poses with girls who enthusiastically take selfies with him on their phones. I watch with a mixture of amusement and disdain. The girls clamour for his attention and I cringe. Why do girls embarrass themselves over famous guys?

When Jax moves away from the girls, he saunters in our direction with a smug look on his face; and for the first time, there’s a hint to why Bryn is warning me off him.

We haven’t spoken since the awkward moment with Bryn in the hotel bar. Following a few minutes of exchanging glances, Jax switched his full attention back to Will and Nate and were joined by a couple of roadies who blocked my view of him anyway. When the entourage left the hotel to catch taxis to the club, no word or look was shared between us.

“Hey,” Jax says, barely registering me as he reaches us. “Are the other guys coming tonight?”

“Liam, he’s inside already,” replies Bryn.

“Right. Will and Nate inside?”

“Yeah.”

Jax’s behaviour around Bryn has calmed since earlier, more confident and less terrified of recrimination.

He nods his head at me. “Tegan.”

“Jaxon,” I reply. Jax screws up his face at me using his full name and I meet his bright, blue eyes momentarily, before he looks away quickly.

Am I more pissed off with his dismissive attitude, or is his lack of interest what bothers me?

“Are any of these lovely ladies allowed in?” Jax asks the security guard closest.

The burly man holds up a tablet. “We have a guest list.”

“Right. But can I invite people?”

“Like who?” asks Bryn.

“You know, girls.”

I tense, stomach turning over. An evening watching Jax and other girls wasn’t my intention. I don’t care if Bryn is over-reacting; I’m intrigued by Jax and want to talk to him. Secretly, I love that Jax was tongue-tied over me and I thought I glimpsed something else under the persona he’s parading now. Perhaps not.

Bryn’s reaction is completely predictable. “Sure!” he says with a grin. “The more the merrier!”

“Cool!”

Not cool.

Jax turns and heads back along the gauntlet of press, to a trio of girls he spoke to on his way through. After a couple of minutes he returns, his new, starry-eyed friends in tow. They’re wearing rock star catching clothes - small dresses and big heels and a crap load of make-up. Two brunettes, one blonde with matching grins plastered on their faces. Not looking at Jax as he passes, I grit my teeth and watch the three girls hang onto each other’s arms excitedly chattering in Portuguese.

As they head through the doors, Bryn steps between the view and me. “This is why I warned you about Jax.”

“Yeah, I told you, I know exactly what he’d be like and I had no intention of doing anything with him!” Why is my stupid heart beating fast? I convince myself I’m pissed off because Jax has dismissed me this quickly. Seriously, do I want to be one of those girls?

I don’t think so, not if this is who he is.

We step inside to a huge room lit by dark pink chandeliers casting a violet glow over the large open space. Chairs and tables are positioned around the room, people littered across the floor and crowding the bar. Music thuds through the venue, and I recognise the name of a famous DJ on a nearby poster.
Wow
. My irritation is washed away by excitement; this place is awesome, much better than the dives I usually frequent. Forget about pretty-boy rock stars, I’m determined to make the most of a rare opportunity.

Bryn, however, looks less impressed.

I follow Bryn to where Liam sits with his arm slung across the back of the blue leather bench. I’m struck by how out of place the two band members look in a place like this. Liam’s long red ponytail and boring jeans and t-shirt mix match Bryn’s unruly curls and the same clothes he wore when I arrived at the hotel earlier. I don’t think this night out was on their agenda.

They nod at each other as we sit and a guy immediately approaches to ask what we want to drink. I’m surprised by the lack of lecture from Bryn over my choice of vodka and Red Bull. Not that I’ll have many, water’s my preference if I’m dancing all night. Nobody else approaches our table. The Ruby Riot boys and their attached girls sit opposite, and I refuse to look over at them.

****

JAX

The amount of beer I downed at the hotel swims around my system. The intoxication ramps up my confidence, add this to the surprise welcoming committee outside the venue and I have a solution to the Tegan issue. Girls.

I learned years ago not to waste my time chasing chicks I have no chance with. It took a couple of years of unrequited lust over a girl at school, but I finally gave up and wrote bad love songs about her instead. Caroline’s stuck in a boring job, living in my home village in Oxfordshire. I bet she’s sorry she turned me down now. So, if Tegan’s unavailable, there’re plenty who are.

Will and Nate straighten with interest when I approach with the girls; Nate arches an eyebrow at me.

“This is Sofia, Paula, and…Lucia,” I say. “I hope I got that right?”

“Yes,” says Sofia. “Hey, guys.”

Round One.
Success
. I remembered their names.

“Sit down!” says Nate and shifts along, patting the leather seat next to him.

At this point, I’m unsure if the girls are choosing which one of us to go for, or the other way around as they whisper in their native language. The tall girl, Sofia, with long, brown hair caught my eye originally. Fortunately, she has friends.

“I always wanted to come here!” Sofia exclaims. “Thank you.”

“No problem.”

Since I’m a flashy bastard when I want to be, I order champagne. May as well make the most of the free drinks. Like the movies, I’m the rock star with chicks and this is what I do.

Will and Nate begin their usual performance, playing up the ‘twin thing’. Paula has the measure of them. When they lie over who they are, she persuades Nate to lift his t-shirt, revealing the large eagle and skull tattoo on his chest that sets him apart from his brother.

Sofia relaxes, body against mine as she flirts, attempting to keep my attention. The cut of her dress catches my attention, low cut and squeezing her tits together. She twists her fingers around the gold necklaces she’s wearing to indicate she knows I’m looking.

“Pretty necklace,” I say and as she releases the chain, I catch the cross pendant in my fingers. My fingers brush her soft skin and she coyly bites her lip, closing her hand over mine.

This chick is up for it.

“Wanna dance?” I ask.

TEGAN

I have no right to be pissed off about this. I swore to Bryn and myself, I had no interest in Jax; but only my brain was involved in that decision. My body, not so much. I watch as Jax puts his hands on the dark-haired girl, and pulls her onto the dance floor. A surprise jealousy creeps in. I expected him to want to spend time with me, despite Bryn’s warnings. The illicitness obviously put any possibility of him and me into Jax’s ‘too hard’ basket.

Or maybe Jax prefers a different girl every night, and is telling me in a roundabout way.

“How’s Cerys?” I ask Liam, turning my back to the dancers.

Liam scowls and drinks his beer.

“He misses her,” puts in Bryn. “I think he’s too old and married to enjoy touring anymore.”

“I’ve only been married a month! ‘Course I bloody miss her!”

“Couldn’t Cerys come with you? Sky came with Dylan,” I ask.

“Ella,” he says. “School and shit. They’re coming to join us at weekends.”

“So stop pouting and have another drink!” Bryn turns and beckons over the nearby barman, stationed to bring drinks when we need.

“Don’t know why you had to drag me out tonight,” Liam mutters. “You never said they’d play this shit music here when you press-ganged me into coming!”

“I told you why,” replies Bryn and inclines his head to me. “I’m not a fan either.”

“Nobody made you come!” I retort. “Go back to the hotel.”

“Next time, I choose where we’re going.”

Next time?
“Sure, we’ll find somewhere more subdued. Reckon there’s a bingo hall nearby?” I ask.

Bryn scowls. “No, I mean a live music venue with real music, not this crap.”

“We can sit in the next room. I’m sure they’ll have a corner for us,” I say. “Y’know, with the other boring, old people in the quiet area. Have a nap if you like.”

“She’s still cheeky, your baby sister?” Liam shakes his head.

“Oh, yeah, never changes,” replies Bryn. “I’m heading through there though. You coming, Tegan?”

“You mean I have the choice? Does that mean I’m allowed to move more than ten metres away from you?”

“Yeah, whatever you want.”

The fact Bryn has loosened up since Jax found girls to pick up pisses me off and his ‘I told you so’ expression doesn’t help.

Bryn and Liam head off to the opposite end of the club and I debate whether to follow. Jax and the girl are in direct view from my table. I follow Bryn.