He strums his guitar, his long fingers finding a chord with casual precision. “I’m not hungry.”
“Then you should at least rest before the concert,” I sign. “You look like hell.”
A smirk lifts his lips, although his expression remains haggard and stressed. “How is it that I ended up with the one girl in the world who thinks I look like hell?”
“Because you value honesty in a relationship,” I sign, giving him an overly sweet smile.
He sticks his tongue out at me, but finally puts down the guitar. With a flick of his hand, he gestures for me to follow him as he heads for the living area. “Come on,” he signs. “We could both use a nap.”
“I’ve been resting all day.”
“And it’s clearly given you way too much time to worry about me. I’m fine. I just always get nerves before I perform. But if you really want to make me feel better, come take a nap with me.”
I give a relenting sigh and trail after him into the living area. I pause by the couch, but he grabs my hand and tugs me toward his bedroom. A flare of panic rises in my chest, and I try to calm it by taking a deep breath. I place my hands on my hips and do my best to put on a fierce expression. Jace’s smirk tells me that I fail miserably.
“I’m not having sex with you,” I snap.
He holds up his hands innocently. Then he quickly signs, “I wasn’t expecting you to.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “You’re trying to lead me into your bedroom.”
“I wasn’t going to make you nap on the couch. Believe it or not, I’m a big boy, and sometimes I actually share things. Like my bed.” I give him an accusing look and he chuckles, a mischievous glint showing in his pale eyes. “I can share a bed without having sex.”
If I’ve learned anything about Jace in the short span I’ve known him, it’s that he’s honest. Probably too honest for his own good. And he gave me no reason not to trust him when we slept together on the couch, so I take his hand as he offers it to me again. He keeps his grasp gentle as he leads me into the back, and I’m struck again by the unique smell of his bedroom—faint cologne and wood varnish. I decide I kind of like it.
Jace leads me over to the bed. It’s been made, but judging by the way the blankets are all rumpled in the corners, I have a feeling it usually isn’t. Which is actually a little surprising, considering how pristine the rest of the RV is. Actually, now that I take the time to really look around, I realize there are a lot of things different about this room. It’s pretty messy, with dirty clothes kicked into the corner, and his nightstand littered with notebooks and novels.
Jace has a stack of mystery books there, and I almost laugh as I notice a sci-fi novel resting next to them. Killer must be rubbing off on Jace more than he thinks. Under the sci-fi book is a romance novel, which makes my eyebrows raise. Jace rolls his eyes again and tugs me onto the bed, where we both sit on the edge.
“Romance books?” I sign, unable to keep an amused smile from my lips.
He blushes. Actually blushes. I laugh a little as I watch his cheeks redden. “They’re good for songwriting,” he explains. “Popular songs are all about romance, and I kind of fail in that arena. So I try to learn from books.”
I gently kiss his cheek. “You don’t always fail.”
He shrugs, like he isn’t sure how to respond to that, and I lean into his warm shoulder and close my eyes. His arms wrap around my waist, and for a moment, I’m able to pretend that everything is okay. That I’m not on the run, that I don’t have to be scared of my dad, that my hearing is still intact and my mom is still alive.
He lies down on the bed and tugs me down too, so I’m lying beside him. I rest my head on his chest, and he gently strokes my hair, lulling me close to sleep. Just as I’m about to drift off, I feel warm breath and vibrations close to my ear. I open my eyes and look up, finding Jace smiling down at me sheepishly.
“Did you say something?” I ask.
He nibbles at his lip, clearly debating whether or not to repeat what he’d said. “I said you’re beautiful.”
I blush, and he laughs gently. I think back to the first time I watched him laugh, and how contemptuous and angry it had felt. Now it just seems . . . happy. I smile as he brushes his thumbs over my reddened cheeks.
“You’re so freaking adorable when you blush.” Before I can come up with any kind of response, he gently kisses the tip of my nose and presses his forehead against mine. “But I really should leave soon. Tired or not, my concert is going to start in just a couple hours.”
I bite my lip to keep from frowning. Jace tips my chin up and brushes his lips against mine, not quite a kiss, but teasingly close. And suddenly I feel sad.