“Why does Liam get a gift, and we don’t?” Pete questioned.
“Huh?” I dropped my luggage on the floor.
“We heard Liam ask about his present in the hallway,” Steve said.
I put my hands on my hips. “How did you hear that? You weren’t even in the halls.”
Pete mimicked my stance. “Don’t change the subject. Favoritism is wrong.”
“If you would have asked Liam, you would know I got you all something.” I bent down, unzipped the side
zipper of my bag, and pulled out three tiny boxes.
“He never mentioned that.” Steve glared at Liam, who plucked his guitar strings.
Liam tried to act like he wasn’t paying attention, but I knew he was. Slouched over, his fingers halted the
second I unzipped my bag. The crosses were the gifts.
“I got you each one,” I said, dropping the first box in front of Pete, then Steve. Lastly, I walked toward
the middle of the bus and stopped in front of Liam. He lifted his head to meet my eyes. I set the box on
the table beside him. He reached for it immediately. My stomach churned as I slipped into the booth
across from him.
Too late to back out.
“Open them.” I tapped the tabletop and bounced my legs.
Pete opened his first. I turned in the booth slightly to get a better watch, but his back faced me, so I
studied Steve instead. He cocked his head to the side, then they exchanged a glance. My skin prickled
with unease as they looked over at Liam. I joined them in doing so. Liam’s attentive gaze found me
briefly, smirking in a way that threw me off.
What the fuck, Liam? I placed a deadly cross in front of you. Be frightened like the vampire you are!
I held my breath and leaned closer as he opened the box.
“Ow!” Steve winced, and I jumped, eyes searching for the box.
Did he touch the cross?
He must have touched it! Oh, my God! I was right.
My thoughts were getting ahead of me.
When Steve caught me staring, he smiled sheepishly, shrugged, and gripped his leg. “Those muscle
spasms are a real bitch.” He frowned. “What’s wrong? You seem disappointed?”
“Do you not like them?” I asked, my shoulders drooping.
“Why crosses?” Liam studied his opened box.
“You don’t like them?” I croaked again, feeling my skin dampen as my nerves became jittery. Safe to say
I didn’t make a good detective. I wasn’t good at pretending either.
“You got me something.” Liam flashed me with an intense smolder, heating my skin with those hooded
eyes. “You could give me a stick, and I’d love it.”
My heart rate quickened.
That wasn’t what I expected. I gasped when he plucked the cross up and
hooked it around his neck. Steve and Pete did the same thing with ease. No pain. No screaming.
I bit my bottom lip as the necklace dangled over Liam’s black T-shirt. It even suited him.
“This is a good look on us,” Steve said. “Why didn’t I think of wearing one before?”
Cross equals epic failure.
It wasn’t over yet. I still had my mirrors.
Liam watched me stand and disappear to the bedroom. It took thirty minutes of waiting around in the
bedroom before I was brave enough to come out with the handheld mirror. Hair still twisted atop my
head, I’d changed into some comfy sleeping clothes. I wanted to appear comfortable and at ease around
them so they wouldn’t question why I came out here to pluck my eyebrows when I always did my lady
business in private.
“What are you doing?” Steve asked as I plopped down on the tiny couch beside him.
I held up my tweezers. “What does it look like I’m doing?”
“Your eyebrows are fine,” he replied.
“I’ll be the judge of that.”
With a sigh, Steve resumed scrolling through his phone. I didn’t know what made me look over the
mirror the second I held it up to peek at Liam. He rested his head on the back of the booth with his eyes
closed. Gripping the handle tightly, I leaned into it and pretended to study my eyebrows. I even clipped
at nothing so that it appeared I was doing something. When I was confident that no one paid attention
to me, I started tilting the mirror.
Here it goes...
I jumped when Steve’s arms wrapped around my neck, and he leaned in close. I saw his reflection
smirking as he rubbed his chin. “Holy fuck, I’m beautiful.”
What the fuck!
With a huff, I tossed the mirror down beside him and went to my bedroom. Unraveling the mystery
wasn’t happening. Maybe I imagined the absence in Liam’s chest. With a frustrated whine, I fell
headfirst onto the bed. Was this what Ruth knew about them? All the cryptic words and hushed
whispers? I thought of the bold way Liam always grabbed my hands and linked us together. If he could
do that, why wouldn’t he tell me who he really was?
Thanks for being on the tour! :)
BeantwoordenVerwijderenMy pleasure! :D
VerwijderenGorgeous cover, love it!
BeantwoordenVerwijderen