Page 48 of Hard Rock Tease
After several moments he sighed deeply and shifted back to recline against the headboard.
"Lily's my sister," he said.
Relief crashed over me, making me breathless. All the tension in my shoulders left, my hands relaxing their grip on the sheets.
I should have remembered. There were rumors Noah had a little sister. That rumor was old though. I hadn't heard the name Lily spoken in years.
"You thought it was another girl?" The words should have sounded accusatory, but he only sounded curious.
"I didn't want to pry."
"It's okay to want to know if I'm sleeping with other girls."
I debated asking, not turning to look at him. "Are you?" I asked in a small voice.
"No."
I let out a slow breath. I shifted back to recline next to him. "Okay. Neither am I."
"Good to know you aren't sleeping with other girls."
I nudged his arm. "You know what I mean."
There was an odd expression on his face as he looked at the phone in his hand.
"You okay? Is something wrong with your sister?" She had called so late at night. Maybe it had been an emergency.
"Nothing's wrong."
"You looked worried."
Noah was silent for several long moments. I was beginning to think he wasn't going to answer when he finally spoke.
"Lily's was in London the past few years for high school. She just finished doing an art retreat program in Europe before she goes off to college. She's coming back for a visit."
"That's sounds wonderful. I bet you miss her."
He murmured in agreement, but still looked concerned. He glanced at me briefly. "Don't tell anyone okay?"
"About?"
"Lily. I don't want anyone knowing she's coming back."
I frowned, confused. "Why not?"
He turned on his side, burrowing under the blankets. I thought he might go to sleep without answering me. A voice spoke from beneath the sheets.
"You won't tell anyone. Right?"
"Of course."
He tugged me down to lay next to him. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. His face was softer in its worry.
"The last time she was here… it wasn't good."
I thought back to the rumors. Fans had found out Noah had a little sister. A lot of people were curious about her, since no one knew much about Noah's past. It seemed like he'd sprung from the aether one day as the front man for Darkest Days.
"Can I ask what happened?" I asked tentatively. Noah clutched me tighter to his chest and buried his face in my neck. I'd never seen him so affectionate. So needy. "You don't have to," I hurried to say. "But if you want to talk about it, I'll listen."
