Wicked Beat (Sinners on Tour #4)(17)

Rebekah let herself out of the bathroom and went to check on the roast. When she lifted the lid, five hungry rock stars groaned in unison. She grinned to herself. She could totally get used to this. She put the lid back on the pot and turned to face the guys crammed in the two booths around the dining table.



       
         
       
        

"Do you want a beer, Rebekah?" Sed asked and took a sip from his brown bottle.

"No, thanks. I need to go over Dave's notes some more."

She retrieved Dave's precious notebook from the chair she'd left it in and settled in the seat with the pages of diagrams and text. How on earth was she supposed to remember all this? She'd thought the guitars would be her biggest challenge, but they didn't compare to how many mics had to be set up and adjusted for Eric's massive drum kit. She looked up and caught Eric staring at her. He didn't look away. His pale blue gaze seemed to caress her skin as he watched her with undisguised interest. She didn't understand why, but she liked the way he looked at her. It was as if she was forbidden fruit, and he was one second away from getting himself ejected from the Garden of Eden.

Rebekah glanced at Trey, hoping he might also show a bit of interest, but he was wedged against Brian in the dining booth going over something about the new song they were adding to the show. She wished she hadn't balked back in the storage garage. Trey was the one she'd always had a crush on. Every slight movement he made was like he was playing an orchestra of sensuality. Unfortunately, he didn't want to play with Rebekah at all.

She forced her attention back to her notebook, using a pencil to carefully scribe notes in the margins. She wished the band trusted her enough to come up with her own setup rather than emulating her brother's, but there was no sense in redoing something that already worked. She couldn't wait to get to the venue and work on setting up the piano and Eric's vocal mic. Those would be her own. Maybe with time they'd let her explore more of her ideas. For now, she just had to live up to their expectations. Her big brother's shoes were a lot to fill.

When dinner was ready, the guys crowded around the stove.

"Sed, don't take half the roast!" Brian said.

"My woman bought it, so it's mine. You're lucky I let you have any."

"Save me some carrots." Trey poked one of the carrots on Sed's plate and added it to his own. "They're sweet."

"Hey!" Sed complained.

While Sed's attention was on trying to retrieve the stolen carrot, Brian helped himself to some of Sed's roast. Jace saw his opening at the stove and began to divvy up the remaining food between his plate and Eric's. Rebekah decided she'd be lucky to get the leavings at the bottom of the pan.

When the scuffle ended and all were satisfied that they had gotten everything they had coming to them, they headed for the table. The pan on the stove was completely empty. Rebekah stood there watching with wide eyes. The five of them noticed her at the same time. Each paused with their forks halfway to their mouths. 

"Rebekah didn't get any," Eric said. He slid from the end of the bench and waved her toward his vacated seat. "Have mine."

She heard his stomach rumble from where she stood. "No, you eat. I'll be fine."

"Get her a plate," Sed said. "We'll all share."

"That isn't nec-" The eager looks on their faces stifled her protests.

Eric retrieved a plate and set it in the center of the table. Each gave her some of their food until her plate was fuller than any of theirs. She didn't know why it touched her so much. "Thank you."

"Sit," Eric insisted. He picked up his plate and moved to the living area. He sat on the sofa and balanced his plate against his chest so he could shovel food into his mouth with his free hand.

There was a narrow spot beside Trey on the bench. He glanced at her and then at Eric in the living room. Instead of scooting over to give her more room, he moved further from Brian so that there was no place to sit. Rebekah decided he didn't want her to sit beside him. She bit her lip, not sure why Trey's rebuffs hurt so much. She took her plate from the table and went to sit next to Eric on the sofa.

"That was rude," Sed commented.

"Shut up," Trey murmured.

Rebekah ignored him. It wasn't hard when Eric gifted her with a brilliant smile. She'd rather sit with him anyway. Otherwise, he'd be eating alone.

"God, this is good," Brian said with a full mouth. "I think Reb deserves a raise."

Rebekah flushed with pleasure and set her plate on her lap. "I'm glad you like it."