Strings of the Heart (2 page)

Shifting on my heels, I cleared my throat. “I just wanted to say thanks again for playing at my party. It was amazing.”

Rhys grinned as he reached in his pocket. After he dug out a tin of mints, he popped a couple in his mouth. When he offered me one, I shook my head. “You’re welcome,” he said.

Taking a few tentative steps closer to him, I said, “You always seem to be doing nice things for me. I mean, you saved me all those years ago and now you’re making my Sweet Sixteen something that everyone will be talking about at school on Monday.”

“Regardless of the fact that Jake would’ve whipped my ass if I had said no to your party, I was glad to do it.” He cupped my chin. “Anything for you, Allie-Bean.”

His simple touch sent my heartbeat thrumming wildly in my chest. Since it seemed so loud in my ears, I hoped that he wouldn’t be able to hear it over the roar of the fountain. “I’m glad to hear that,” I whispered breathlessly.

“I have something for you.”

“Y-You do?”

He cocked his dark brows at me. “Do you think I’d come play at your birthday party without getting you a gift?”

“The fact you came and played is more than enough of a present,” I countered.

He reached in his suit pocket again. This time he brought out a small jewelry box with a pink bow. He thrust it at me. “Happy Birthday, Allie-Bean.”

Oh. My. God. He’d gotten me jewelry? With shaky hands, I reached forward and took the box from him. I don’t know how my trembling fingers managed to undo the bow, but when I did, I slid it off and opened the lid. Peeling away the tissue paper, I found a round pendant on a silver chain. A hand-painted white magnolia with glittering leaves of vibrant green filled the pendant. “Oh, it’s so beautiful,” I gasped, as I took it into my hand.

“You really like it?” he questioned, his voice lacking the confidence it usually had.

“Yes. Yes, of course I do,” I quickly replied, never taking my eyes off the necklace.

“When I saw it, I thought of you. A magnolia is a delicate and pretty Southern symbol, and you’re a pretty Southern girl.”

“I’ve always loved magnolias. Wherever did you find it?”

“My sister makes them. Well, she paints them.”

I jerked my gaze up to meet his. “Your sister?” In the three years I’d known Rhys, he’d rarely talked about his family, least of all mentioning a sister. I had assumed that he was an only child.

His expression saddened as he rubbed his neck furiously with one of his hands. “Yeah, my younger sister, Ellie. She’s really talented when it comes to painting.”

“We have something in common then,” I said, thinking about how I loved to draw and sketch. My dream was to one day become a fashion designer and have my own clothing line.

“Yes, you’re both artistic,” he murmured softly.

Sensing that was all I was going to get out of him, I smiled and replied, “Please thank her for me, and tell her what beautiful work she does.”

Gratitude replaced the sadness on his face. “I will.”

I held out the chain. “Will you put it on me?”

He frowned. “But it doesn’t match your dress.”

“I don’t care. I want to wear it.”

“You seriously want to wear it now?” he asked incredulously.

There was something so endearing about how much he wanted the necklace to please me. It made me want to throw my arms around his neck and smother his face with grateful kisses. “Of course I do. I think it’s my most favorite gift I’ve received tonight.”

As he took the chain from me, his lips quirked up, as if he was smirking at me. “I think you’re just humoring me.”

Furiously, I shook my head from side to side, trying to show him my sincerity. “No, I’m telling the truth—I promise.” I turned around and lifted up my mass of loose curls so he could put the necklace on me. Once I heard the clasp fasten closed with a snap, I turned around. “Thank you, Rhys. I’ll always think of you when I wear it.”

He gave me a genuine smile that melted my heart. “You do that.” As I absently ran my fingers over the magnolia, Rhys asked, “Now was there a reason why you came out here to see me, Allie-Bean?”

My fingers froze as I felt a warm flush fill my cheeks. “Oh, um, never mind. It wasn’t important.”

“Sure it was.”

I nibbled on my bottom lip. “I just wondered if you would…” I swallowed hard, trying to muster my strength.

“If I would what?” Rhys prodded.

“Give me a birthday kiss,” I whispered.

When a beaming smile lit up his face, I felt like I might combust. “Well, I’m happy to oblige your request, young lady.” He leaned in and bestowed a tender kiss on my cheek. I couldn’t hide my disappointment, and I guess he noticed when he pulled back. “What’s wrong? Don’t tell me I did it wrong,” he teased.

“No, you didn’t. It’s just…” While my heart beat out-of-control, the voice in my mind was strong as it goaded me.
Go on, Allison. You can do it
. “I wanted a real kiss from you.”

Rhys’s smile instantly faded. His brows shot up into his hairline as his chocolate brown eyes widened in disbelief. “You want a
kiss
from
me?
”

I couldn’t believe I was still standing in front of him, least of all bobbing my head. “I want you to be my first kiss,” I blurted before I could stop myself.

“Sweet Sixteen and
never
been kissed?” he questioned almost incredulously.

His surprise caused embarrassment to flood my face. “Not properly really—not by someone I
really
wanted to kiss.”

“And you want to kiss me?”

“Yes. Very much,” I whispered.

A strangled noise came from the back of his throat. “I can’t believe this,” he murmured.

I glanced down at my silver heels peeking out from my hemline. “I’m sorry.”

Rhys’s fingers gripped my chin and lifted my gaze to his. “Don’t be sorry, Allie-Bean. It’s just, you’re jailbait for me,” he protested.

“But it’s not like that really.”

“Oh, I’m sure Jake and your parents would certainly disagree.”

Although part of me wanted to turn and run, I stood my ground. I’d come too far to give up now. “It’s just a kiss. No one will ever have to know but you and me.”

With a wry look, he said, “And your two friends who practically have their noses pressed to the glass right now watching us.”

I whirled around to glare at Mallory and Kim. With a hasty flick of my wrist, they instantly backed away from the window and then disappeared. “Sorry about that,” I mumbled.

When I dared myself to glance at Rhys, he appeared to be raging war on himself. I took a tentative step forward, closing the small gap between us. In a voice I almost didn’t recognize, I said, “Make this the happiest night of my life by kissing me.”

“But if Jake caught us or found out—” Rhys cast a glance around the patio as if searching for Jake’s wrathful gaze.

“Please, Rhys.”

“Okay, fine.” When he was assured we were truly alone, he cupped my face in his hands. I sucked in a breath, my already frantic heartbeat accelerated into a wild gallop. In a dizzy flurry, the patio began to spin around me. As his mouth hovered over mine, Rhys whispered, “Happy Birthday, Allison.”

The instant his mouth touched mine, I trembled from head to toe. His lips were everything I dreamed they would be—warm, soft, commanding, consuming. I could have stayed in that moment with Rhys’s hands on my face and lips on mine for the rest of my life. While I would have preferred the slick feel of his tongue against mine, Rhys kept the kiss incredibly chaste.

When he pulled away, I blinked my eyes several times before they would focus. Surprise flooded me to see Rhys staring down at me with an almost dumbfounded expression on his face. His brows creased in confusion, and he appeared to be unable to speak. His reaction was nothing like I had expected.

“I…I have to go,” he murmured, before he started backing away from me.

“Thank you,” I said.

He didn’t respond. Instead, he just kept staring at me like he was seeing me for the first time in his life. I’d never seen him look so lost and confused. “Rhys?”

He got to the door of the ballroom before he finally turned around. With his back to me, he reached for the door handle. His hand hovered there for a moment before he glanced at me over his shoulder. His eyes still held the wild, confused look he had earlier. “You’re welcome, Allison.”

Before I could say anything else to him, he ducked back inside the ballroom. Alone, I tried to sort through the out-of-control emotions careening through me.

Long after Rhys had disappeared back inside, I still remained by the fountain. I knew the instant I returned to my party, the moment would be over—I’d be Cinderella after the clock struck twelve. So I stayed outside, running my fingers over my lips that Rhys had kissed.

As I thought about his reaction, I could only hope that he had felt more than he had imagined. That in that moment, he had seen me as more than Jake’s little sister—as someone he could one day be with. Deep down, I believed that someday we would be together. All the things that kept us apart for now—my age, what my parents and Jake would think, his celebrity status—they wouldn’t matter.

Regardless of the heartache to come, one day he would really be mine.

T
he tour bus jostled over a patch of uneven pavement, yanking the delicious, illicit dream of a beautiful, yet faceless brunette out of my mind. Although the dream faded into foggy wisps of images, I didn’t even have to shift my hips to realize I had sprung a massive morning boner. With my eyes still closed, I craned my ear to take in the sounds around me. Normally, a morning jerk-off session wouldn’t have been an issue when I rode along with Eli and Gabe on the Jacob’s Ladder bus—the reigning bachelor’s oasis that harbored scantily clad women and free-flowing booze. But they had stayed back the night before in Nashville instead of following us on to Louisville, so I had to bum a ride on AJ and Mia’s family friendly bus, which meant I could be interrupted at any moment by a toddler or screaming infant.

Just when I thought it was safe enough to let my hand trail over my bare chest and under the covers, a tiny voice shouted, “Unca Weese!” I had only a millisecond to react before the curtain to my roost was jerked away, and my drowsy world was invaded by AJ’s precocious three-year-old daughter, Bella. Somehow in my hazy state, I had the presence of mind to bunch the covers around my waist to shield her innocent eyes from my unfortunate morning wood.

When I reluctantly popped open my eyes, Bella pounced on me. “Oomph, easy, Bells,” I grunted.

“Wake up time,” she ordered. She propped her elbows on the mattress while swinging her legs back and forth.

I groaned. My idea of when it was time to get up and hers was much, much different. Of course, there was no way in hell I would be able to get up in front of her. Boxers or no boxers, there would be too much explaining to do, and she was just the kind of inquisitive kid to want to know what was going on below my waist. Shifting my hand under the covers, I winced as I cupped myself to keep the sheet from tenting.

Cocking her head, Bella’s dark eyes curiously surmised me. “Do you have a boo-boo on your pee-pee?”

Fuck me, was this seriously happening? How the hell was I supposed to answer that question without it resulting in AJ kicking my ass? Pausing for a moment, I tried to find a way to work her question to my advantage. “Um, yeah, I do. Hurts pretty bad, too. So I better lie here a little while longer and let it get better.” When she started to crawl onto my bunk, I shook my head. “No, don’t wait for me. You go on and get some breakfast.”

After a moment’s contemplation, Bella asked, “Want Mommy to come kiss it and make it better?”

“Oh, hell no!” I cried, jerking my arm over my eyes to try to bleach out the mental image of Mia anywhere near my dick. Sure, Mia was fine as hell, but she was AJ's wife and a mother. You just don't fantasize about a chick once you've accidentally walked in on her breastfeeding.

Since both her father and mother had mouths like sailors, Bella didn’t even bother chastising me for cursing like Jude and Melody would have. Instead, she frowned. “Why not? When I have boo-boos, Mommy makes it feel better when she kisses it.”

“AJ!” I bellowed at the top of my lungs. At this point, I didn’t care if I woke up baby Gaby. I needed him to get Bella out of here ASAP.

Thankfully, he appeared almost instantaneously to put me out of my misery. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

I opened my mouth to explain, but Bella beat me to it. “Unca Weese feels bad because he has a boo-boo on his pee-pee. Why don’t you kiss it and make it better, Daddy?”

AJ’s dark eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. His mouth opened and closed a few times, but he didn’t manage to get any words out. Finally, he sputtered, “N-No I will not be kissing his…
pee-pee
!” He then turned his wrath on me. “What the hell are you doing talking about
your
pee-pee with
my
daughter?” he demanded.

I held up my hands defensively, but then quickly dropped one when I realized I needed to keep one hand on the blanket. “I didn’t bring it up; she did. Right after she busted in on me trying to hide my morning wood.”