Music of the Heart (Runaway Train, #1)(26)

Tears sparkled in Jake’s eyes. “Thanks guys.”

I noticed that AJ had been conspicuously quiet. Finally, he hopped down from his roost. He and Jake stood staring at each other for a few seconds before they fell into each other’s arms. “Dude, I don’t know what the f*ck to say. My heart is shattered—for Susan and for you,” AJ lamented, his voice muffled against Jake’s chest.

“It’s okay, man. You don’t have to say anything,” Jake replied.

“But I want to. I want to say and do all the right things because you’ve been my best f*cking friend since we were eleven years old.”

Tears flowed freely down my cheeks at the sight of all the love between the guys. I swept them away with the back of my hands. Jake finally pulled away from AJ and gave a rueful smile. “Okay, enough with the crying—we’re acting like a bunch of pussies. I don’t know who took our balls, but enough with the bullshit emotions.”

At my sharp intake of breath and what I guess was my horrified expression, Jake started laughing. It wasn’t long before all the guys joined in with him. Crossing my arms over my chest, I huffed, “Well, I’m so glad I could amuse you guys!”

AJ winked at me. “We needed that, Angel.”

“Whatever,” I replied.

“Okay, shows over. Go back to bed guys,” Brayden instructed.

Rhys yawned and bobbed his head. “Night, guys. Night, Abby,” he said before turning back to the bedroom.

“Night,” I called after him.

Brayden and AJ made their goodnights and then went back to their bunks, leaving me and Jake completely alone.

As I eyed the crumpled sheets of his roost, I asked, “So how do you want to do this?”

“Can I spoon you?”

My eyebrows shot up. “Can you what?”

The shadow of a smile fluttered on Jake’s lips. “You really don’t know what that is, do you?”

An embarrassed flush filled my cheeks as I ducked my head. “No,” I murmured.

Jake’s finger came under my chin and tipped my head up to look at him. “It’s okay. I’ll show you.” On his knees, he edged across the bunk to where he was pressed up against the wall. Then he turned on his side to where he was facing me. He then motioned me with his hand. I sighed. It was now or never time. I eased down beside him.

“Now lie on your side,” he instructed.

I quickly flipped over to where I wasn’t facing him. My breath hitched when I felt him snuggle up behind me. His arm snaked around my waist to drape across my hip. He then nestled his chin into my neck. His breath was warm against my skin as he asked, “Is this okay?”

I tried to still my rapid breathing. The truth was it felt so good being this close to him. Although it was just to comfort him, it felt dangerous and illicit sharing a bed with Jake.

“Abby, is this okay?”

Jake rarely used my real name, so I knew he was really worried. I reached down to grab his hand in mine. I squeezed it tight before I glanced back at him over my shoulder. “It’s fine.”

The genuine smile he gave me caused my heart to flutter. “Thank you. I’ll never forget this.” In a lower voice, he murmured, “I’ll never forget you.”

I closed my eyes and willed myself to go to sleep. With the heat of Jake’s body against mine and the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest against my back, it wasn’t long before I was lulled into a deep, contented sleep.

***





Delicious warmth wriggled against me and cut through the levels of my subconscious. I didn’t try to fight waking up from this exquisite dream. After all, I’d gone to bed alone, hadn’t I? But when my hips automatically bucked my morning wood into the curvy backside pressed up against me, it felt so very real. Without opening my eyes, my hand slid up the dream girl’s ribcage to cup her breast. The tiny whimper that escaped her might as well have been a bloodcurdling scream because that’s when I realized the girl was so not part of my dream, but worst of all, I was molesting Abby.

I jerked my hand away like I had been scalded. Thankfully, she slept like the dead, and my horndog assault hadn’t woken her up. Gently, I climbed over her body and escaped the roost. Glancing back, I gazed down at her sleeping form. A tug pulled at my heart. I’d never had a girl comfort me before—well, at least not since I’d hit it big. Girls just wanted a piece of the fame or to be able to say they’d screwed me. With our crazy schedule, it was too much of a hassle to have a girlfriend. At least that’s what I told myself.

Pushing the long strands of blonde hair out of her face, I rubbed Abby’s cheek tenderly, but she still didn’t stir. Instead, she made those cute little snores that would have mortified her if she had been awake. She truly was an angel right out of Heaven to care enough to dry my tears and comfort me, not to mention sleeping with me when she knew she shouldn’t.

Fuck. Why did she have to be so beautiful? It would be so much easier if she was some average or even butt-ugly girl. No, my savior—my angel—had to be any man’s fantasy. With a frustrated grunt, I escaped into the bathroom. Even though I was tempted, I would not stoop to jerking off this morning. It wasn’t entirely that I had all this integrity—hell, I’d let a waitress blow me the night before in a diner storeroom. It was more about the fact that I knew to get off I’d have to fantasize about Abby.