Beat of the Heart (Runaway Train, #2)(61)

Her eyes widened, but then she nodded. I brought her hand back to my chest, over my heart. My fingers came to intertwine in the long strands of her dark hair. It felt so silky smooth against my skin. As my tongue tangled against hers, a burning in my chest started to grow.

“Hey AJ!” Jake called from outside the barn.

“Fuck,” I muttered before pulling away from Mia. Fucking cockblocker! This seriously couldn’t be happening—not now. Not in the middle of our big moment. I stalked over to the window, threw it open, and stuck my head out. “What?” I growled.

Jake gave me a shit eating grin. “Get your ass down here. It’s time to do Jude and Melody’s bedtime song.” I opened my mouth to argue, but Jake shook his head. “We always do this, man. You can f*ck Mia’s brains out when we’re done.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Fine, douchetard. We’ll be right down. And you better hustle your ass back to the fire because I’m going to punch you for that last comment.”

Jake only chuckled and started shuffling down the hillside. After I slammed the window, I turned back to Mia. “Sorry about Jake being a dick.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s okay. He’s your band-mate and loves to give you shit.”

“Unfortunately, yeah.”

“So this ‘bedtime song’ must be pretty f*cking amazing to take you out of my bed right now?”

Although I felt like an absolute *, warmth flooded my cheeks. “It’s hokey as shit really.”

Mia’s eyes brightened. “I do declare that you are blushing, AJ Resendiz.”

“No, I’m not.”

She grinned. “Yes, you are.” On her knees, she crawled to the end of the bed and then sat back, waiting expectantly for me to explain the bedtime song.

I exhaled noisily before raking a hand through my already messed up hair. “Fine. Here it is. This one time when we were all up here hanging out, Jude was like six months old or something, and he wouldn’t go to sleep. Bray and Lily were at their wits end, so Rhys, Jake, and I decided we should sing to him—Hey Jude to be exact. He went out like this.” I snapped my fingers. “So whenever we’re all together and not on the road, we sing for him and for Melody before Bray and Lily take them for their baths and shit.”

Mia’s hand hovered over her mouth. I didn’t know whether she was going to bust out laughing or start crying. “Aw, baby, just when I think you couldn’t melt my heart more, you tell me that story.”

I grinned. “So does that mean you’re in for us picking up where we left off when I get back?”

She laughed. “Oh yes. But you’re not going alone.”

“I’m not?”

“Nope, I’ve got to see this ‘bedtime song’ performance for myself.”

Oh f*ck. “Seriously?”

“Mmm, hmm.” She hopped off the bed and came over to me. “Why do you look so pale, AJ?”

“You know exactly why.”

She smiled. “And I’m loving every minute of it.”

I rolled my eyes. “Come on. Let’s go before Jake comes back to aggravate the hell out of me.”

“Should I bring my tambourine?” she asked with all seriousness, as we headed out the door.

“Smartass,” I replied, before smacking one globe of her very perfect, round ass.





I woke up to blinding sunlight streaming through the windows. Stretching in the bed, I glanced over at the clock on the nightstand. It was after eleven. AJ and I had slept way too late. Of course, after the bedtime singing performance, I couldn’t wait to get him back to the barn.The first time we’d gone at each other like always—the ripping off clothes, heavy breathing, moaning, and skin slapping echoing through the room kinda screwing.

But then something had switched over in the both of us. The next time was slow and sweet like we had started before we were interrupted by Jake. I felt more connected to him than I ever had before, and it was both exhilarating and scary as hell. After we finished, we lay entangled in each other’s arms talking and laughing until the early morning before we finally fell asleep.

AJ snored softly on his stomach on top of the sheets—his fine, bare ass on display in the morning light. Snuggling closer to him, I ran my fingertips up and down his back. When he still didn’t stir, my mind went back to last night around the bonfire as he and the guys sang to Jude and Melody. I’d been floored when after taking my seat next to Lily, Melody had scrambled out of her mother’s lap and made a beeline for me. “Hold me, Mi,” she’d demanded. I’d quickly picked her up and let her burrow into my arms. She’d once again wrapped her fingers around the strands of my hair.

Then, I watched in absolute amazement as the guys put on quite the cover of Hey Jude. I wondered what their fans would have thought about seeing them jamming around a bonfire in the middle of the sticks—Brayden on guitar and singing the lead, with AJ and Jake harmonizing. They even got us all singing on the “Nah nah nah nah nah nah” part.

Once again I glanced over my shoulder at the clock. I knew it was time we got up and moving. I leaned over and kissed AJ’s cheek before lightly smacking his other one. “Wake up, sleepyhead.”

“Mornin,” he said, in a hoarse voice.