by Theresa Jane
“Freya?” Liam prompted, and I looked over to see him standing beside an uncomfortable looking couch.
Slowly, I made my way to him, and he quickly pulled me in front of him as I heard the door behind us open again. Liam’s eyes darted to whoever had just entered, and I started to twist to look at them when suddenly there was a hand holding my head in place, keeping me from looking.
Before I knew what was happening, Liam’s lips were on mine. Unlike the first kiss we shared, there was nothing gentle or kind about this one. It was demanding and possessive, as if he were trying to prove a point. I couldn’t help but melt against him, my body forgetting everything my mind had warned it against.
“Hey, do that on your own time,” a familiar, annoyed voice called as Liam broke away. I was breathing heavily and leaning on his chest as I tried to find my breath. I could feel Liam’s heart beating rapidly as he looked over at the new arrivals, who I knew were watching us closely.
“Now I know why you wouldn’t let me near her,” someone joked. “You wanted to keep her all to yourself.”
“She would have never bought into your charm, Jeb,” Liam retorted, and I hated how level his voice was. As if he wasn’t even affected.
Reluctantly, I twisted in his hold so I could face the room, knowing I couldn’t hide from them in Liam’s chest forever. Looking around, I suddenly felt even smaller than usual in the presence of all the large men. One was smiling at me warmly, causing me to blush with embarrassment for what he had just seen.
The man had long dark hair that tumbled to his shoulders in waves. His muscular arms were covered in dark ink in what appeared to be a continuous scroll of neat words. However, it wasn’t any of that which captured my attention. It was his startlingly hazel-green eyes that were perfectly accentuated by his high cheekbones. I hadn’t realized I was staring until Liam squeezed my waist to get my attention as one of the other guys extended his hand to me.
“I’m James,” he introduced, his dirty blond hair falling into his murky brown eyes. He was definitely trying for the grunge look I had been accused of by Ryan, but he was doing a much better job of making it look good. “I play the bass.”
“Nice to meet you,” I smiled at the mumbling bass guitarist. “I’m Freya.”
“I know,” he smirked before he shuffled off in the direction of the soundproof room.
“You know Jeb,” Liam said, and I fought the urge not to mutter how unlucky I had been to meet him. “And this is Marc; he’s the boyfriend.”
“Boyfriend?” I frowned, looking between Liam and Marc and wondering if I had missed the part of him being a closet gay.
“Fiancé,” a strong feminine voice announced before she bustled into the room and wrapped her arm around Marc. “Hey, I’m Harriet.” She extended her hand for me and gave it a gruff shake before returning to hold Marc's hand again. “And yes, my parents do hate me. Everyone here just calls me Harri, and those who don’t never last long.”
“Oh,” I muttered, slightly terrified by the new arrival.
"I’m kidding," she smiled, slapping me on the shoulder, and I tried not to wince from the force. She was really strong despite only being a few inches taller than me.
“Right,” I answered, still trying to catch up. “I knew that.”
“I play the drums,” she explained, running a hand through her brown curls, and I noticed a strip of bright blue peeking out. Her skin was dark and her eyes even darker, and she was full of curves I’m sure made almost every guy stop and look as she walked past.
“Oh,” I answered as she leaned up and pressed a kiss to Marc’s cheek. I caught my breath as I saw the scar on her neck and tried to hide my shock as she turned back from me, but she must have seen it.
"I got it when I was seven," she explained, running a hand along the puckered scar. “A dog attacked me when I was walking home from school with my older brother. It’s not as bad as it looks.”
“Yeah?” I smiled, awkwardly, not really sure how to respond.
“Besides, it gave me a free pass into the boys’ club at school. They see a scar and immediately you’re in. It’s how I got into drumming.” I watched as Marc looked down at her with a goofy smile on his face and something in his eyes akin to adoration. I secretly wondered how many girls’ hearts he had melted with that very same smile. I could feel my own warming a little, and I wasn’t even the one it was directed at.
“Then you would have never met me,” Marc said, causing Harri to look up at him with a knowing smile.
“Were you part of the club?” I prompted.
“No,” he laughed ruefully. “We met a few years after Harri graduated and was doing the clubs and pubs scene.”
“Oh, so you watched her play?” I asked.
“Not exactly,” Harri smirked.
“I arrested her and her fellow band mates after they got into a little trouble with a bar manager.”
“What kind of trouble?”
“Let's just say none of them were of sound mind when they decided to start a small fire on the stage after one of their sets,” Marc smirked as Harri swatted him on the chest playfully.
“We were cold; it seemed like a perfectly logical solution to the problem.”
“Until you started adding his most expensive liquor to the flames and almost burning down his livelihood.”
“Whatever,” Harri dismissed, looking back at me. “So, how did you both meet?” she asked, looking expectantly at Liam and me.
“Umm…" I stuttered, looking at Liam for answers when Wyatt cut over me.
“We don’t have time for this. Why don’t you all get in the studio and we can get this over with?”
“Right,” Liam agreed, stepping around me and making his way to the studio.
He surprised me when he came back and placed a gentle kiss on my lips and whispered he would finish as soon as he could. When he disappeared inside the soundproofed room, I quickly reminded myself that this was all a ruse. Nothing but an elaborate lie, and I couldn’t fall for any of his tricks, not now, not ever.
I watched as Harri said goodbye to Marc and he watched her go with longing as she was the last to disappear inside the room.
“How long have you been engaged?” I asked as we both moved to the couch and sat on the uncomfortably hard excuse for a chair.
“Just over a month,” he answered, watching as the band started to set up.
“And you don’t mind that she spends all her time in a room filled with men banging on drums?” I asked skeptically.
“It was concerning at first, but I trust her. Besides, none of those men would have a chance in hell at winning her affections.” He smirked as if he had somehow gotten away with the greatest heist of all – stealing the affections of the girl he obviously loved most in the world. “She’s loyal to a fault.”
“That must be nice,” I mused, thinking of how reassuring it would be to have someone who you could trust without question.
“You don’t trust Liam?” he asked as if he already knew the answer.
“Would you?” I scoffed.
“No, probably not,” he answered, scratching his chin thoughtfully. “Although I have never seen him act the way he did just now with any of the other girls he’s been with. In fact, he rarely brings anyone to the studio with him. If there is one redeeming quality about the guy, it’s his commitment to his work.”
“How does he usually act?”
“Well, he’s territorial for sure, but the way he came back for you, he never does that.”
“Oh,” I muttered.
“Damn,” I looked up at Marc questioningly to find him scowling at his phone. “Sorry, can you tell Harri something came up and I had to head to the station?”
“Sure,” I replied to his back as he walked hurriedly from the room, leaving me alone with Raven and Wyatt. Feeling useless and out of place, I quickly pulled out a pencil and started to sketch, wondering if I had enough blank pages to fill the endless
hours I was going to be here waiting for Liam to finish up.
* * *
I was halfway through a sketch when I realized it was Liam I had been drawing. He had his guitar in hand and his eyes blazing with the intensity I had seen the night of our first kiss.
Feeling overwhelmed, I looked up to see the band had already started playing without my realizing but then I heard Liam sing, and I suddenly knew why all those women idolized him.
His pull was undeniable, and a voice like his with a body like that was almost sinful. It was as if God had gifted him with all he needed to achieve world domination, and no one would question him. He had a body and a voice that would turn any woman into a puddle of jelly.
When the song ended, I realized I was on the edge of my seat, staring intently at the man who had the power to crush hearts and incite undying love from women and some men all across the globe.
When my mind finally returned, I quickly averted my eyes before Liam could see me, and I unfortunately looked over at Wyatt. He was watching me closely with a calculated look. I felt my cheeks blush with embarrassment as I hurriedly returned my attention to my sketch. Hoping to keep myself distracted for the rest of the session but knowing as soon as he started singing again I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from looking and getting lost in his warm, melodic voice.
* * *
A few hours later, they were still going and I rubbed at my arms, wishing that Ryan had thought to give me a jacket for his ensemble as the chill of the room started to get to me.
The band was currently arguing over something as I curled up on the couch trying to get comfortable.
"Cold, huh?" Raven observed, and I nodded in agreement as my goose bumps got goose bumps. ‘Here,’ he said, pulling his sweater off and tossing it in my direction. I looked at it for a second before hurriedly slipping it on and immediately feeling myself begin to thaw as his lingering warmth seeped into my skin.
“Do you think they’ll be done soon?” I asked hopefully as Wyatt tried to defuse an argument between Liam and Jebediah.
“If they continue like this, we could be here all night,” Raven muttered, stretching his arms above his head, trying to get out all the kinks from sitting at the controls for so long.
“Great,” I groaned, and Raven chuckled lightly. We were silent for a while just watching as the band continued to fight until I couldn’t take the boredom anymore.
“So, why do they call you Raven?” I asked, and he swiveled in his chair to face me.
“Long story, but my mother’s family is very...spiritual,” he cringed, and I was picturing hippies camped around a fire as they communed with Earth, naked, of course. “But my father was German and he insisted on a name which reflected his heritage. He didn’t like my mother’s family much. He named me Abelard, and officially that is what I am known as, but in my mother’s family, I am known as Raven, the trickster. They give everyone a spiritual name; my father’s was the fruit fly. He hated it.” He shrugged, and I stifled my laughter at his unfortunate name.
“You tell anyone my real name, and I’ll never teach you how to use this,” he threatened, motioning toward the flashing lights and switches.
“How do you know I’m even interested?” I replied, trying to act nonchalant.
“I saw how your eyes lit up when you walked in here. You women just can’t resist something bright and shiny,” he answered smugly, and I knew I was beat. I wanted to play with his toy. Especially now, after waiting hours for Liam to be done. We were interrupted moments later when Wyatt walked back in, telling Raven to get on with it. The band started up again and I groaned, falling back on the couch as the same song played again.
* * *
“Hey Freya, you want to learn the ropes?” Raven asked over his shoulder almost an hour later, and I giddily trotted over to him, ignoring the glare Wyatt was throwing me.
“Do I get to push buttons and flip switches?” I asked eagerly, eyeing a particularly bright button.
“You women really love the shiny things, don’t you?” He chuckled, pulling me over, so I stood beside him.
“I’d prefer not to comment,” I smiled, looking out eagerly over the board.
“Here, I’ll show you the basics,” he offered before he fell into an animated explanation of all the knobs and switches. When the band started again, he let me push some of the sliders but from where I was standing, there were a few I couldn’t reach.
I was reaching for a particularly high one when I felt warm hands wrap around my waist where my T-shirt had ridden up, and then I was being lifted off the ground.
“Here,” Raven laughed, lifting me up until I was sitting on his lap and I was finally able to reach what I had been stretching for.
“Got it,” I beamed proudly, looking back at Raven, who was still laughing at me as he moved other switches and pressed other buttons.
I hadn’t noticed at first, but the band had suddenly gone quiet. I looked up in confusion to find Liam glowering at me through the soundproof glass. I looked at him questioningly and then back at Raven, who had gone three shades lighter and seemed to be frozen. I looked back at Liam to see his jaw tick and then suddenly, he was striding across the recording booth and yanking the door open.
In seconds, he was looming over Raven and me as Raven hastily pushed me from his lap, raising his hands defensively.
“She was helping me, and she couldn’t reach,” he offered nervously as Liam continued to glare down at me.
“What do you think you are doing?” he growled, and I felt my face scrunch in confusion.
“I was helping Raven,” I shrugged.
“What is this?” he hissed, pulling at the sleeve of Raven’s sweater.
“It was cold; Ryan doesn’t take into account comfort levels when he’s choosing my outfits,” I answered, pushing his hand from my arm and noticing he was almost vibrating with anger.
“Take it off,” he demanded, causing me to recoil from his harsh words.
“Excuse me?” I shot back, crossing my arms over my chest defensively.
“Take. It. Off,” he repeated.
“Have you lost your mind?” I scoffed, but he remained silent as he stared down at me, his glare unwavering.
“Just take the sweater off,” Wyatt groaned from the corner, and my eyes quickly found him. Now, I was even more determined to keep it on despite my rising temperature.
“Why?” I challenged, crossing my arms tighter.
“Just take it off so we can finish up here,” Wyatt said impatiently. Rolling my eyes, I looked back at Liam to find the same furious expression as before.
When I looked back into the recording studio, I could see Jebediah and James watching closely to see what I would do. Harri was watching too but less interested.
I knew that if I refused, Liam would lose some respect in their eyes. Jebediah seemed to be the only person enjoying the situation as I felt Raven shift uncomfortably behind me.
I returned my attention to Liam as he waited impatiently for what I would do next. None of this made any sense to me, especially why he would care if I was wearing another man’s sweater when we weren’t even really together.
“Liam,” I started in a low voice. “I don’t know why you’re acting this way. It’s just a sweater.”
“Then take it off,” he ground out, and I could tell he was reaching the end of his patience. His eyes were on fire, and all his muscles were bunched tensely. I didn’t want to see what happened when he fell over the edge.
“Fine,” I sighed, saving my fight for another time when we had less of an audience. I slid the sweater from my shoulders. "Thanks, Raven," I muttered, handing it back. He took it from me stiffly, and I looked back at Liam, not hiding my displeasure.
“Happy?” I spat, and he grunted in reply before taking my arm and leading me over to the lonely couch.
“I’m going to be another hour,” he said in a low, rough voice. “Can you behave you
rself that long?”
“I wasn’t aware I had done anything wrong,” I replied, my eyes flaring with irritation. Who was he to tell me what to do?
“Just…don’t go climbing on any other guy’s laps, all right?”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I replied sardonically, never looking away from his accusing eyes.
“Liam, let’s go," Wyatt prompted, but Liam’s eyes remained on mine and had me seriously questioning the falsehood of this supposed romance. That and the flutter in my chest that was preventing the glare I was trying to shoot him. He looked over his shoulder for a second before turning back to me with a determined look on his face.
“Just a little longer,” he promised before ducking down and brushing his lips against mine, causing me to recoil from him in annoyance. He drew back with an amused smirk on his face before he turned from me and made his way back to the studio, my glare piercing holes in his back.
I realized all the guys in the studio were watching him as he resumed his position behind the microphone, his guitar slung over his shoulder.
He looked so natural when he was like this, and I wondered, not for the first time, why I never saw him playing around the apartment.
When I finally looked away from him, my eyes found Jebediah, and his sly smile made my skin crawl. My stomach churned when he dared to wink at me before Liam turned back to the band and Jebediah quickly averted his eyes. Before I had a chance to deal with everything that had happened, Liam was singing again, and I couldn’t help but be entranced by his voice.
* * *
I was silent on the car ride home. When we finally left the studio, I was grateful that the reporters had given up their vigil. Apparently, they didn’t work after midnight like Liam did.
When we reached the apartment, I knew all he wanted to do was go to sleep, but I had used the car ride to reignite my anger, and I wasn’t going to let him go to bed thinking how he treated me in the studio was okay.
We were in the kitchen when I finally let all my anger out. Liam was making coffee and turned around to give me mine when I exploded.
“Here,” he mumbled.
“I can get my own coffee, Liam; you didn’t even ask,” I spat, pushing the black liquid as far away from me as possible.
