Page 79 of Rock Giant

“Won’t they think it’s weird I hid on your bus?”

“Just say you were under the kitchen table ’cause you weren’t sure you wanted to brave the woods alone in the dark.No one will think anything of it.”

She nodded and headed down the steps.Most of the gang were back.No one even noticed she’d joined them from the direction of the buses.Nash, Jez, and Balin were by the fire, but Lee was still missing.He returned along with Dani and Ronnie a few moments later.Ginny following them.

“Still no sign of Rock Giant?”she asked her hubby, who had evidently already given up the search.

“Evading even my super-secret-agent powers.”

“Guess that’s another win to him, then.Backroom’s his for the night.”

“Like this was even a contest,” Paul said emerging in their midst and making several of them jolt.Judging by the dirt now smeared over his face, and over his arms, he had indeed army crawled under the bus.“All yours, Castle.”He gave her a sly wink.“Got to be some advantages to being my missus—”

She sensed Nash stiffen.

“—I’m good out here.But keep the noise down, so you don’t disturb the rest of them, right.No one needs an angry Cave Troll to deal with.”

“Wait, you mean me and...”He was giving her and Nash his prize.

Nash’s back remained broom straight, and he was eyeing Rock Giant like this was a trap despite his bandmates affectionately battering him with their knuckles muttering about accepting the gift horse.

Why are you doing this?Jodi wanted to ask, but Rock Giant avoided her gaze, and lingering around to ask while people were trying to steer her towards a cosy night with Nash in a double bed instead of their usual teeny bunk didn’t feel like an option.

CHAPTER 24

Jodi Castle

“How bloody much?”Jez spat out most of the mouthful of beer he’d just taken.“That’s insane.”

“Twelve quid,” Nash repeated.

To Jodi, the mad part wasn’t the price tag, she’d realised days ago that Norway was expensive.No, it was the fact that despite the hour and the cost of beer, the club was thrumming.She was nestled between the two men, and thus managing to stay on her feet, but even that wall of muscle didn’t protect her from all the jostling.If it’d been up to her, she’d have opted for a seat outside, overlooking the marina, where they’d at least have been able to hear one another without yelling, but it was late and drizzling, and the guys, still pumped after their earlier gig, wanted to be in the thick of things.

Or rather, they were looking for company.Balin already had his arm around the shoulders of some girl he’d met on the way through the door, and Lee was talking to a giggly trio that had followed them here from the gig.She reckoned he’d have already pulled one if not all three of them, except for the fact that one of them was wearing a Spook Mortensen T-shirt that stretched over her bust like a second skin and was clearly hoping she wasn’t going to have to settle for the budget option.

“Are Black Halo joining us?”

“Some of them,” Jez confirmed.“Ronnie, Rock Giant, Ash, and his missus.Xane, I think.Not certain though, he seemed preoccupied.”

“We should attempt to find a table.”

“Pretty sure there’s one saved.Same as last night.Balin was going to check.”

That’s right, the guys had come here the previous night, too.She’d opted for a quiet night.Bus to herself, and the chance to shower and dry off in private.Well, after she’d completed the sixteen thousand tasks they’d left her with.

“Maybe we should just go find it, guys.”

The three of them tacked their way through the packed bodies, eventually finding their reserved table not far from the stage area a local band were performing on.

The Black Halo party arrived right as they were about to sit.Various bodies slid into seats.Nash ended up offering to go to the bar with Ginny, since Ash had wound up trapped at the back wedged between Xane and Jez.Ronnie and Rock Giant filled out the remaining spaces.She’d need to find a stool to pull up to the end.

“Park your arse right here, sexy butt,” Rock Giant gave his knee a pat.

Tempting, but...“Think my fiancé might have something to say about that.”

“Alternative’s sitting on the table.”

“I can stand.”