Music of the Heart (Runaway Train #1)(9)
Author: Katie Ashley

“Not bad?” I huffed indignantly.

Pink tinged his cheeks. “Well, you know what I meant…for light rockers.”

AJ bobbed his head. “Yeah, when they were introduced, I kinda expected some Jonas Brothers shit. But they’re actually hardcore for Christian rockers.”

Leaning my elbows on the table, I eyed AJ and Rhys. “My brothers are fantastic musicians! I mean, can you two play multiple instruments?”

“Well, no—” Rhys began.

I smirked at them before crossing my arms over my chest. “Although he’s probably the least musically inclined, Gabe is one hell of a drummer, and he can write a song like nobody’s business. Micah can play the guitar, bass, banjo, dulcimer, and piano, not to mention he has an amazing voice for harmonizing. And Eli—he plays the bass and the fiddle and sings too. Along with Gabe, they’ve been writing their own songs and composing their own music since they were ten.”

Rhys held his hands up in defeat. “I stand corrected, Angel. Your brothers are complete and total badasses!”

Jake flipped an omelet onto a plate and added, “And their sister is pretty hardcore too.”

I laughed. “Thank you—for all your compliments about the general badassery of my family’s DNA.”

After winking at me, Jake then shuffled over to the fridge and pulled out a carton of orange juice. “I’d really rather have a Coke Zero if you have it.”

He ignored me as he poured two large glasses before handing me one. “OJ is better for you.”

Rhys shook his head. “Says the dude who has beer with his breakfast most days.”

“Shut up, douchebag.” Eyeing me, he then said, “You did pass out about thirty minutes ago from low blood sugar, remember?”

“You’re right.” I took a long swig of my orange juice, and I had to admit it was good. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Angel.”

I huffed out a frustrated breath. “Why do you all insist on calling me that?”

Jake motioned to my dress. “For one, you’re all decked out in white.”

“But it’s just a sundress.”

Balancing three plates, Jake then came over to the table and set down our omelets. “Second, you appeared out of nowhere like a fallen angel from the sky.”

“How poetic,” I snipped.

AJ grinned. “Not to mention, you’re a 180 from the girls who are usually on this bus.”

“Definitely,” Jake replied. Tilting his head, he pinned me with his stare. “And then you’ve got the most beautiful aura of light about you—pure and exquisite.”

I almost choked on my orange juice at the sincerity of his words. “Really?”

“Yeah, you do.” After plopping down across from me, Jake added, “And finally, you felt like absolute heaven pressed up against me in bed.”

And just like that, the perfect moment was shattered. “Please,” I muttered, grabbing my fork. When I bit into the omelet, I closed my eyes from the ecstasy my stomach experienced. “Wow, this is really good.”

“I’m good at a lot of things besides singing and playing the guitar,” Jake replied.

I popped one eye open to peer at him. “There’s some more lovely innuendo in there for me, isn’t there?”

Jake grinned as he took my glass to get me more orange juice. “Nope, I’m being a good boy.”

“I doubt that seriously.”

The table fell into silence as we all gobbled up our food. Brayden came out of the bedroom with a smile from ear to ear. “I guess by your expression your call went well?” I asked.

He beamed. “Melody said ‘dada’ today and blew kisses at me. She’s never done that before.”

“Aw, that’s sweet,” I replied.

Brayden’s expression darkened. “I just hate that it’s going to be two more weeks until I get to see them. Jude gets bigger and bigger every time I see him.”

“Maybe you should think about bringing them along on the tour again,” Jake suggested.

I stared at him in amazement. “You like kids?”

He gave me his signature smirk. “Of course I do. I especially like Jude and Melody. I also like having Lily around because she cooks for us and cleans.”

Brayden threw a napkin at Jake, hitting him in the face. “My wife is not your glorified cook and maid, douchebag.”

“I know that, twatwaffle. But more than anything, I like how having her around puts you in a good mood. When you got your kids around you and you’re getting laid often, shit just runs smoother for all of us.”

Clenching his jaw, Brayden slammed the refrigerator door. “Somewhere in that statement was something decent and redeeming, but like always you had to trample all over it,” he grumbled, bringing his food over to the table.

Raising my arms over my head, I yawned. “Tired of us already, Angel?” Jake asked with an amused grin.

“No, it’s just I didn’t sleep much last night. Nerves and all. Then I had to get up at the asscrack of dawn to get to the airport for my early flight.”

With his expression waxing concern, Brayden leaned forward in his chair. “Why don’t you go lie down for a while?”

I glanced around at the guys. “You wouldn’t mind?”

AJ shook his head. “Nah, we’re probably going to crash again ourselves. We had a week straight of gigs before Rock Nation, so our asses are dragging.”

“Oh, okay.”

Sweeping his hand to his chest, Jake said gallantly, “And I’ll even let you have the bedroom.”

“That’s awfully sweet of you, but I can always take one of the roosts.”

With a twinkle in his eye, Jake replied, “I insist.”

“Thank you then.”

When I rose out of my seat, he followed suit. Taking my suitcase, Jake rolled it down the aisle to the bedroom. I glanced back at the guys to see their open-mouthed, wide-eyed expressions of disbelief. Putting one foot in front of the other, I trailed behind him. Once Jake wheeled my suitcase inside, he turned around. “All yours, Angel. We’ll make sure to wake you for dinner. We’ll probably stop a little earlier than normal because those omelets won’t sustain us for long, and we’re almost out of groceries.”

“Oh, okay, thanks.”

Jake didn’t move out of the doorway, so I had to squeeze past him. Our bodies meshed together, and I fought the familiar tingle that prickled over my skin at being so close to him. It was a feeling I wasn’t used to experiencing with anyone. Once I was inside, I turned back to him. “It’s very sweet of you to give me the bedroom. The privacy is nice.”