Read Cadence (Ruby Riot Book 1) for Free Online Page B

“Sure, you never got wasted when you were on your first tour,” I say sarcastically.
    “There’s a time and a place, Tegan.”
    I giggle at him. “You seriously are an old man, big brother.”
    “I’m stressed about the fucking tour, okay?”
    Whoa . The tightly wound Bryn from yesterday remains; this has to be about more than me and my arrival. “Are you all right?”
    “Fine. Sorry.” He wipes a hand across his brow. “Dealing with some shit; I need things running smoothly on tour at least. Call me when you’ve showered, or whatever. I want to talk to you.”
    Before I can respond, Bryn stomps to the elevator, his heavy footsteps muffled by the carpet. Jeez, I hope nobody gets in Bryn’s way today.
    Half an hour later, refreshed and ready for the world, I grab my phone and shove some cash in the back pocket of my jeans. First day of touring with Blue Phoenix, and I bounce down the corridor with excitement over what the day could hold. I’ve waited years to spend time in the thick of everything and watch how their world works. Playing the fan girl, I chose a Blue Phoenix sleeveless tee this morning. Will Bryn finally tell everybody who I am? My mind floods with ideas and possibilities. I can’t wait to show pictures to people, I know that Phoebe is jealous as hell. When we hit the UK leg, I’ll find her some backstage passes.
    One small cloud on the horizon - what does Bryn want to talk to me about? He’s agreed I can stay. As I wait for the elevator, I picture him giving me a list of dos and don’ts with that sulky look he’s had since I arrived. Something’s wrong with Bryn, he’s not normally this uptight. Maybe once he’s in his natural environment backstage he’ll cheer up.
    Distracted, I don’t notice another person appear besides me.
     
     
    JAX
     
    Shit. No.
    I stop.
    Tegan, standing by the elevator, makes jeans and a sloppy Blue Phoenix t-shirt look like the sexiest outfit on the planet. I am not nervous of chicks these days but she ties my tongue in knots. This reaction is because I’m unsure if I made a dick of myself in front of Tegan last night, not because she stuns me.
    Sure it is.
    Tegan’s full lips are pursed, a troubled line between her brows so I keep my distance and say nothing. She notices me almost immediately.
    “Good morning, Jaxon,” she says with a knowing smile.
    “Don’t call me Jaxon. Only my mum and gran call me that.”
    “When you’re misbehaving?” Tegan pulls her teeth over her lip to disguise amusement.
    I really bloody hate alcohol memory blanks when the person who saw, and remembers all, clearly wants to tease.
    “You forgot your sunglasses,” she says staring straight ahead.
    Her words jolt me from the distracting sight of where the vest tee she’s wearing scoops low beneath her arms to reveal the edge of a black bra and smooth, tanned skin. “What do you mean?”
    “You’re a rock star after a wild night. You should be wearing sunglasses.”
    “Wasn’t wild, I just drank too much.”
    “Uh huh.”
    I ignore her. I have enough to worry about with facing the wrath of Ruby when I arrive at the venue.
    Tegan continues to fight her smile and hits the button on the elevator again, muttering about how long it’s taking. So far, she met my eyes briefly and now focuses on the elevator door. I train my gaze on the side of her face and I’m positive her cheeks are pinker than when I arrived.
    “I hope I didn’t say anything rude to you last night,” I say.
    “Nope.”
    “Okay.” I pause, irritated by her lack of information. “What did I say?”
    Finally, she looks around at me; deep brown eyes beneath long lashes capture my breath. We lock eyes for the longest since we first met, and I swear something’s there; something I haven’t seen in anybody before, even Ruby. Apart from the desire for Tegan that hits each time I’m sharing oxygen with her, I feel like I already know her, but I’m sure we’ve never met before.
    “You’re a rock