Betrayer, page 4
part #3 of The Shining Ones Series
Birdie and the bass player grinned. Katie was too busy tapping away on her phone to notice. I leaned in toward Birdie. “She’s going to have her hands full. I don’t know if I should applaud her or give her a talking-to at this point.”
Birdie laughed into his beer. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he tilted his head toward Haylee’s end of the table. “How’s it going working together again?”
“It’s good, actually. I’d missed her, you know. Missed all of you actually,” I replied, feeling slightly self-conscious. “It’s not the same, of course, but it’s not bad either. We did pretty well tonight.”
“You should be thanking your lucky stars that you’re not at Paddy’s,” chimed in Katie. She still hadn’t looked up from her phone, but she was multitasking like a champ. “Stevie has lost his mind. Since Haylee Jane left, he is about one step from going postal. He interviewed three waitresses today and sent them all packing. In tears, no less.”
“Is that true?” I asked Birdie, my mouth dropping open.
Birdie nodded, his look not much better than mine. “Yeah, he’s losing his shit. It’s not your fault though, Poe. He should’ve been nicer to Haylee. I don’t blame her for going. Hell, if Joe could’ve given us all jobs, we would’ve been over there like a shot.” Katie nodded, still engrossed in her phone.
I sat back in my chair and thought about what Birdie had just said. It was a tantalizing thought, having Birdie back with me, too, but then I’d have to take Katie as well, and while she was my friend, her waitressing skills left something to be desired. With a start-up restaurant, she could be the kiss of death.
“Anyhow,” I said, changing the subject and accepting a new drink from Birdie, “not your problem for much longer either. A couple more months and you’re still off on tour, right?”
That got Katie’s attention. She finally looked up from her phone, setting it down on the table before picking up her drink and taking a sip.
Birdie rubbed the back of his neck, not glancing my way or Katie’s. Why should he feel uncomfortable about that? Wasn’t the tour a good thing? I was intrigued, to say the least. Birdie’s reaction had also gotten Adam’s attention. He looked from me to Birdie and back to me again. It was like a game of strange looks going around the table. First Katie, now Adam. Well, at least everyone was now paying attention.
“Yeah, it’s all good,” he said, his answer short and abrupt. I was about to say something further when Katie finally spoke.
“I still don’t know why you won’t let me come with you,” she said, clearly trying to make it not sound like she was whining, but failing miserably. “I’ll be on break for most of it, and then we could spend more time together. It’s not like I wanna be at Paddy’s without you, you know.”
The bass player gave one hell of an eye roll, but I must’ve been the only one paying attention to him. He took a big gulp of beer but kept his mouth shut.
“Would it not please you to take your girlfriend with you, James?” asked Adam.
I elbowed him in the ribs, but his remark had already rankled Birdie, who was going to be defensive at the best of times, but since it was Adam asking, it would be a million times worse. It wasn’t like it was an innocent question from Adam, either. He’d picked up on the tension between Katie and Birdie and had no problem putting the screws to Birdie. Not sure when Adam had decided to openly antagonize Birdie, but I was happy to put a quick stop to it.
“It’s not our business,” I replied smoothly, giving Adam a nudge above the table this time. “Don’t pry.”
“No, please, do pry,” said Katie, turning sideways so she could expose her twitching foot from underneath the table. She was actively irritated. “I’m all ears myself.”
Poor Birdie. He was caught between wanting to chew out Adam, but not being able to do anything about it while his girlfriend zeroed in on him like a hawk. His bass player, however, wasn’t about to keep his nose out of it any longer. His dark brown curly hair framed the mischievousness written all over his face.
“Dude, the road is no place for a girlfriend,” he replied, giving a head bob to Adam. “What happens on tour stays on tour, you get me?”
Katie’s face was priceless, but Adam, always two seconds behind, didn’t get it. “And what would happen on the tour that you could not discuss?” But Birdie interjected.
“If you wanna keep your balls, you’ll shut up,” Birdie growled at his bass player.
That wasn’t going to fly with Katie, whose face had gone an interesting shade of scarlet. The blowup was about to happen, and at this rate, the whole bar was going to feel the detonation. Birdie opened his mouth, no doubt to defend himself, but I was actually quicker.
“He’s just being a dick, Katie.” I reached across the table and patted her hand for reassurance. “Nothing happens on the road other than a bunch of smelly guys farting a lot and telling crappy jokes. Been there and done that. You really aren’t missing out on anything special.”
Birdie’s face looked like I’d punched him in the gut, but he covered it up quickly. I hadn’t meant to belittle our time on the road together, but it was imperative that Katie calm down before something was said that couldn’t be taken back.
But Adam had seen Birdie’s face. “Is there a problem, James?”
I was starting to wonder if Birdie regretted making Adam use his Christian name. I know I was. Every time it came out of Adam’s mouth, I knew nothing good was going to come of it.
Birdie’s eyes narrowed, his face more grim than it was before. “I don’t seem to remember inviting you into this conversation, Walker.”
Oh crap.
Adam straightened in his chair, his arm casually draped over the back of my chair in an undeniably possessive gesture, his stare directed at Birdie “I do not need an invitation when it involves something that belongs to me.”
Part of me was turned on by Adam’s display of domination, the other part wanted to be mortally offended. Fighting the urge to either kiss him or choke him, I did neither. I caught Birdie’s eye and gave him a subtle shake of my head. It wasn’t worth the fight. Not in front of Katie, not in front of our friends. I would deal with Adam later, but for now, we needed something else to talk about. Luckily, Haylee’s end of the table was proving to be just the thing.
The scraping of Andre’s chair against the bar’s wooden floor was loud even with the crowd. All eyes at our table turned as Andre stood chest to chest with some random drunk guy who’d obviously been hitting on Haylee Jane. Birdie and his bass player rose as a unit, their arms bunched in a way that I didn’t like the looks of given that their bandmate had willingly embroiled himself. It wasn’t their fight to settle, but that didn’t seem to register for either one of them. Homing in on Haylee, I watched as her face betrayed a mixture of frustration and embarrassment.
Get a couple of beers into a pair of testosterone-laden men and the inevitable happens. It was time to break up the party before someone got their feelings hurt or worse yet, we got banned from the bar. I started to rise from my chair, too, just as Andre had just done, but Adam had already detected my intentions and was up and between the two jealous lotharios before I could even open my mouth to protest.
The menacing look on his face was unmistakable, and it was like he’d grown another couple of inches in seconds, which I knew wasn’t possible. Everyone around us stilled, and it was then that my mouth went dry as I watched the expressions of my friends around me: Birdie’s was irate, Katie’s all knowing, and Haylee’s totally mortified. Adam had brought attention to himself whether he’d wanted to or not.
“Look, man, I didn’t do shit,” complained Andre loudly. He pushed on Adam’s arm, but it hardly moved. In fact, Andre looked ridiculous trying to assert his manhood against a man who dwarfed him by at least a half of a foot. The drunk guy wasn’t any better. He’d tried to swipe Adam’s hand out of the way, but it must’ve been like trying to move a brick house. I held my breath, waiting for it to go horribly wrong.
Seconds ticked by slowly. Finally, the drunk guy shuffled off. Disaster averted.
Well, mostly.
“Whatever, man, I’m outta here,” said Andre. He stalked out the door. The rest of the band jogged out after him, followed by a still-unhappy Katie. That left me, Adam, and Haylee, who was surprisingly mute after the whole affair.
Haylee stood and faced me. “I’ve got some makin’ up to do. I’ll catch you later.” She gave me a quick hug before darting off out the door after Andre.
I shook my head and glanced at Adam. He was looking down at me, his hand outstretched, waiting for me to clasp it. I took it, thankful for the reassurance of it.
“Come,” he said.
I didn’t need any more encouragement as we left.
***
I let Daisy back into the trailer, and shut the door, locking it. “Thank you for what you did tonight.”
“Glad I could help,” Adam replied, running a hand through his untidy hair.
He sat slouched on the couch, his pajama bottoms slung low on his hips, his t-shirt baggy on his thin frame. It was late, way too late for us to still be up, and although I was tired, seeing him so casually draped on my couch made my hormones flare. I rubbed my hands down the front of my nightshirt and made my way over to him. Not stopping to think, I climbed up on the couch, hitching up my nightshirt to straddle his lap, my exposed knee socks more girlish than sexy.
Adam didn’t tense up for once, his hands settling on my hips, his beautiful brown eyes staring at me, one eyebrow raised in surprise. His hands traveled down my thighs and squeezed, which only made the fire in my body flare even further. I tried not to groan, but a small sound escaped from my lips, causing him to smile. He changed direction with his hands, pulling on my buttocks so I sat nestled closer to his chest.
“Normally the whole alpha male thing drives me nuts, but tonight…” I paused, running my fingers down the side of his cheek to the top of his t-shirt before gliding my hand down to the space right below his belly button. There was a sharp intake of breath. “Tonight, it was hot. And you’re right. You do own me. I’ve never wanted someone so much in my entire life.” I bent down and kissed him lightly. But Adam pulled back when I tried to deepen our kiss. The hurt must’ve been plainly written across my face.
He sighed, threading his long, slim fingers with mine, holding our clasped hands in his lap. “I do not wish to be that man, Poesy. It is not something I want for either of us.” He paused, his face overshadowed by conflicting emotions. “I want to show you I can be better than that, that my love for you is not a possession. You are not a possession.” Adam grimaced. “But James brings out something in me that is hard to control.”
“You shouldn’t let him get to you,” I replied, quietly squeezing his fingers. “It only makes it worse when you rise to it.”
“It is not easy for me.” Adam’s voice was hoarse with misery. He turned his head away from me as if ashamed of showing his true feelings. “He…he can have what I never can. If I could have you, I would want nothing else in this world.”
The sadness was sudden and overwhelming. I felt the tear slide down my cheek before I realized I was crying. Adam turned back to me, his fingertips gently brushing my cheek, my agony mirrored in the anguish in his brown eyes. “Do not be sad, my love. The torment is sweeter for not knowing. I will always find a way to make it up to you. You will want for nothing.”
Adam leaned forward and kissed me. It was a tentative touch, but I wanted more.
“Show me,” I whispered.
He grabbed a fistful of my hair and crushed my lips to his this time, his tongue plunging into my mouth. I tightened my grip on his shirt, holding on with everything I had. His assault was powerful and insistent, as if he could kiss the anguish out of me. His teeth caught the edge of my lip and tugged. I kissed him harder, straining against his lap, my underwear and his pajama bottoms the only things keeping us apart.
But it wasn’t his kisses that made me cry out. His hand had found its mark, and I bit down on his lip this time to keep from whimpering when his fingers drew my panties aside and pushed inside me. It was almost too much sensation as his mouth trailed down to my collarbone, his teeth catching my skin as his thumb hit a particularly sensitive spot that made me shudder. I moaned, my back arching.
“Right there,” Adam murmured into my shoulder before raising his head, his face tilted up toward mine, the dark desire in his eyes enough to make me breathless. “Live with me in the now, my love. Feel what I can give you.” He pushed harder and I did catch my breath, the ache deep and throbbing as his fingers went deeper. “Like that,” he whispered, increasing his tempo, a small smile touching his lips. “Can you feel me?” I couldn’t form words—only inarticulate sounds were leaving my mouth. Panting, I moaned when he nipped the side of my neck. “If this is the only way I can have you, I will make it count. You belong with me, Poesy. I will always make you feel this.”
He plunged another finger inside me and that was all it took. I came hard and fast, crying out as my orgasm took over and rocked through my body, obliterating all the sadness and lingering doubt in its path. I cried out again as another wave rushed through me, Adam’s mouth crushing mine as he plunged his fingers in me one last time. I collapsed against his chest, his fingers now caressing my inner thigh. I had just enough energy to place a kiss on his brow.
“What would I ever do without you?” I asked, sighing contently in my post orgasmic haze. He kissed me on the lips one last time before wrapping me in his arms.
“You will never have to find out,” he replied.
Adam picked me up off his lap and carried me back to the bedroom, shutting the door.
***
Daisy’s barking was powerful and frenetic, like a siren that wouldn’t stop. Resisting the urge to ignore her, I reached behind me to shush her, but she wasn’t there. The space where she slept, the wedge between my butt and ankles, was unfamiliarly empty. It took a second to register her absence, no more, before I was fully awake. Alarmed, I sprung upright in bed, hacking and coughing as smoke filled my lungs, causing my eyes to burn.
“Daisy!” I shouted, throwing back the covers. Where was all this smoke coming from?
This time, her answer was a whimper. She was somewhere on the other side of the bedroom door. Why wasn’t she in the bedroom with us like normal? Dread crept its way down my spine, a cold, dark thing that slithered its way into the pit of my stomach. Anxiety spiraled up my throat. This can’t be happening, I thought as my mind raced to make sense of it all. But it was happening. My mind shifted into panic overdrive.
“Adam, get up!” I screamed, shaking him awake. Coughing, he bolted upright, disoriented like I’d been seconds before. “The trailer’s on fire. Oh god. Daisy!” I surged to my feet, lunging for the bedroom door. The doorknob singed my flesh, causing me to hiss, but I wouldn’t let go. My dog was on the other side of this door.
“Poesy, wait,” shouted Adam, but I wasn’t listening. I had to get to Daisy.
A wall of heat engulfed us as the door crashed inwards, a resounding crack as it hit the bedroom wall. Stumbling into my burning hallway, I tripped over her before I knew what was happening. She was lying crumpled on the floor, motionless. Oh god, not Daisy. Please God, not my baby.
And that’s when the burning ember from the ceiling dropped on my nightshirt, igniting the thin fabric like it was a candle wick. The burn was hot and molten as I stood shrieking, scrabbling to get the fabric off my skin, but it was sticking to my blistering back.
Adam was on me in an instant, pulling the flaming fabric off and wrapping me in our bedroom comforter, but I fought him. I fought him with everything I had because my only focus was on Daisy. Pushing Adam aside, I dropped to the floor and shrugged the blanket off, throwing it over Daisy as I grabbed her around her chest. There was no time to be gentle, no time to see if she was still alive. I heaved her over my shoulder, wheezing for oxygen, as I stumbled back to the bedroom. There was no way to go out the front door now. We were trapped.
Adam slammed the bedroom door shut behind us as I stood in the middle of the bedroom, frantic for a way out.
“Listen to me.” Adam crushed us to his chest, his words urgent and loud as he shouted over the fire. “The window is our only choice to get her out. I am going to break the window and you will have to push her through. We will never fit. We have to go through the flames.”
I stood rooted to the spot, clutching my dog to my chest, my back throbbing. He was right. We were never going to fit through the tiny bedroom windows—it would be a miracle if Daisy did. I shook my head.
“I’ll take her with me,” I shouted back. “I’ll hold onto her.”
Adam grabbed my shoulder and shook me. “No. You must drop her out of the window, Poesy. Our chances of getting through the fire are slim enough without the extra baggage. She will be safe. You must believe me.”
He didn’t wait for an answer as he let go and pulled the fitted sheet off the bed. Wrapping it around his arm, he smashed his fist then his elbow through the glass. The air rushed into the bedroom, causing the flames to surge under the bedroom door. We were running out of time.
“Now, Poesy,” Adam shouted.
There was no choice. I didn’t want to let her go, but it was the only way.
“Not the blanket, just Daisy,” he shouted again.
Unravelling the blanket from her face, I looked at my dog once last time. She still wasn’t moving, her fur singed in some places, her eyes shut, her mouth open. My heart was breaking.
Adam’s shove startled me. Without another thought, I dropped the blanket and pushed Daisy through the window. I couldn’t even hear the thud as her body hit the ground, only the sounds of sirens, but there was no time to worry about her. We weren’t going to make it.
“Listen to me.” Adam brought his face within inches of mine, his determination unwavering, his cadence deep, strong, and sure. “Whatever happens, no matter the pain, keep moving, do not stop.” Not waiting for a response, he snatched the blanket up and shoved it over my head and shoulders. Racing to the bedroom door once more, he gave me one final look.
