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“I
like it,” Trey admitted, “when you’re rough with me. It makes me feel utterly desired.”

“You
are. I’m not sure I show my feelings to you the right way. You’re so good at it
and I . . . I don’t think you understand how much you mean
to me.”

Trey
relaxed against him, all the hurt and confusion from earlier flowing free of
his body.

“I
love you, Ethan,” Trey said. “Don’t ever doubt it.”

“And
me?” Reagan said from somewhere near Trey’s feet. He chuckled softly. She was
always so afraid they’d forget about her. As if that was possible.

“Come
here.” Trey held his arms out, and she crawled up the bed to settle in his
embrace. “I love you as well.” He kissed the back of her head.

They
lay that way, wrapped in a cocoon of love and physical exhaustion until Sed
came pounding on their door an hour later.

“It’s
time to go to the arena, Trey,” he yelled through the door. “Get your ass downstairs.”

“I
hear you,” Trey shouted, but he didn’t move from his comfortable spot between
the loves of his life.

“We
should go,” Ethan said, pressing his face and several kisses into the back of
Trey’s neck.

“Yep,”
Reagan agreed, drawing Trey’s arms more securely around her waist.

“In
a minute,” Trey murmured, his eyelids heavy as he fought sleep. It took Sed
trying to rattle the hinges off the door to get Trey out of bed.

He
jerked open the door to Sed’s angry face. Sed blinked—squeezing his lids
tightly shut—when he took in Trey’s state of undress.

“Can
I help you?” Trey asked.

Sed
stared at the wall beside the open suite door. “We’re going to be late. Get
dressed and meet us downstairs.”

“I’ll
be down in a minute. I need to shower. I have cum dripping out of my ass.”

Trey
chuckled when Sed grimaced and shuddered.

“Next
time I’ll send Brian after him,” Sed said under his breath as he turned and
walked away.

That
night, Ethan was once again deeply absorbed in watching Trey perform
onstage—mostly trying to figure out why it bothered him so fucking much that
Trey just
had
to touch Brian every time he came within reach—when Reagan
nudged him with her elbow to gain his attention.

“Are
you feeling better now?” she yelled over the blaring music, a flash of red
lighting up her face before switching to blue and then brilliant white.

He
knew why she was asking—she’d found him staring into a nearly empty glass of
whiskey in the hotel bar before she’d coaxed him upstairs for some sexual
healing—but he played dumb and shrugged. “Not sure why you thought I was
feeling poorly.”

“Because
I know you. We’ve been together either as friends or lovers or roommates for
years. I can tell when something’s bothering you.”

The
tail of her shouted words sounded extra loud because Sinners’ song ended
abruptly. Appreciative cheers from the audience filled the short gap of
silence.

“I’m
not bothered.”

“Maybe
you should be,” she said.

She
gave him far more grief than Trey ever did. Maybe because they had known each
other for so much longer and she wasn’t afraid to tell him off.

“Trey
called me, worried that he’d done something wrong. He didn’t do anything, did
he?” It was more an accusation than an inquiry.

Ethan
watched the man in question lean close and whisper to Brian. The pair laughed
together, Brian smacking Trey in the chest. Some inside joke probably. He
looked down at Reagan to squelch the jealousy burning up his throat.

“Not
that I know of,” Ethan answered Reagan’s question. “What was he like with Brian
before he became interested in me?”

Reagan
gazed out at the stage where the two guitarists were jamming together while Sed
prowled the front of the stage and Jace hung toward the back. “Pretty much the
same as he is now. I hear the guys joking about how Trey used to try to steal
kisses from Brian, though I’ve never seen him do it. You can tell they’re still
close.”

Really
close. Ethan’s eyes narrowed as Trey resting against Brian’s back as they
performed a dueling solo.

“But
they’re just friends. Relax.” Reagan slapped Ethan in the center of his chest.
“I’ve seen how he is with you. He loves you with all his heart, Ethan. Don’t
let your unnecessary jealousy compromise what you have with him.”

“What
we
have with him,” Ethan said.

“Right.”

“Uh,
sorry to interrupt,” said a chesty young woman in unflattering glasses. Ethan
knew she was writing some sort of biography on Exodus End, but he couldn’t
recall her name.

“Toni,”
Reagan said, her tone chastising. “Where’s your corset?”

“I’m
working,” Toni said. “I need to hook up your head camera before you get onstage.”

She
held up a black headband with an attached lens.

“You
promised you’d wear that corset. Aggie went to all that trouble to get it ready
in time.”

Toni
looked behind her—not once but twice—before she opened the ugly sweater she had
buttoned up to her throat. She gave Reagan—as well as Ethan—a peek at acres of
cleavage spilling from the top of a fitted black leather corset.

“I
am wearing it as promised. But I had to cover up,” she whispered harshly,
“because all the guys were too busy staring at my chest to follow
instructions.”

She
jerked the sweater closed and buttoned it again. Ethan blinked to clear his
muddled thoughts. While Toni helped Reagan put the camera on her head—she
looked absolutely fucking ridiculous in the get-up—Toni watched Ethan out of
the corner of her eye.

“Do
you watch both Trey and Reagan perform every night?” she asked Ethan.

Reagan
had informed him that Toni knew about their unusual relationship, but he wasn’t
prepared to answer any questions about it. He didn’t like the idea that a
writer knew about them. It would be so easy for her to leak their secret to the
world. But Reagan trusted her, so Ethan supposed he had no choice but to trust
her as well. That didn’t mean he’d willingly share information about his
personal life, however. He didn’t care who the woman was.

“Mostly,”
he said, shifting his body away from her, hoping she’d take a hint.

Ignoring
his body language, Toni asked, “So do you also play guitar? I mean since both
of your lovers do, it would seem only natural.”

“It’s
none of your business.”

She
bit her lip, and her friendly smile faded. “Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”

“Jeez,
Ethan, chillax,” Reagan said. “She’s just asking a simple question.” She turned
to Toni and clasped her hands in hers. “He doesn’t play. I tried to teach him
once. Thought it would be sexy to slide up behind his big, strong body and show
him a few chords. But he’s all thumbs.”

They
laughed together at his expense, and Ethan was pretty sure he was glowering.
Even though Reagan’s claim was generous—Ethan was worse than all thumbs, he was
more like all hams—he didn’t appreciate her sharing information about him with
this, this . . . 
reporter
. Was that what the women
had been up to while they’d been together shopping and whatnot that morning, whispering
secrets back and forth like schoolgirls?

The
pair weren’t much better at the after-party. Reagan seemed determined to get
her new bestie drunk off her ass, and while Trey was allowed to play, Ethan was
forced to sit and watch. There were too many prying eyes around for him to
truly enjoy the company of either Reagan or Trey, so once again he was the odd
man out. He tossed back his whiskey and stared at the wet ring on the table in
front of him.

He
was surprised when Trey’s brother dropped into the seat beside him.

“You
look like I feel,” Dare said in greeting.

Ethan
leaned back in his chair and contemplated at Exodus End’s lead guitarist. “How
so?”

“I
get the impression you’d rather be anywhere but here.”

Not
exactly true. At least here he could keep an eye on both Reagan—he’d completely
failed her when that asshole had nearly strangled her to death, so his
protective instincts were more honed than ever—and Trey, who seemed more
interested in Reagan than Brian tonight. Likely because Brian had already retired
for the evening to spend time with his little family. But Dare was right. He
wasn’t particularly fond of these loud and obnoxious rockstar after-parties.

“I’d
rather be here than dropped into a live volcano.” Ethan was surprised when Dare
chuckled at his idea of a joke.

“I’d
have to flip a coin on that one,” Dare said.

Ethan
grinned and lifted his glass to dump a whiskey-flavored ice cube into his
mouth. He crushed the mostly melted slivers between his teeth with a satisfying
crunch.

“Trey
said he asked you for some advice today,” Ethan said.

Dare
leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs at the ankle, resting his
dwindling drink between his hands and against his flat belly.

“He
does that a lot,” Dare said. “He’s always been too complicated and conflicted
to sort himself out. But I get him.”

That
made one of them.

Ethan
rubbed the pad of his thumb up and down the side of his glass.

“Did
he tell you what he wanted advice about?” Dare asked after a long moment of
silence stretched between them.

“I’m
guessing it was me.”

Dare
nodded, but didn’t comment. Ethan was a big brother, so he knew what it must
feel like to be talking to someone who’d hurt his little brother—no matter that
the pain he’d caused was unintentional.

“I
didn’t mean to upset him. It’s just . . .” Just what? Even he
didn’t know what the problem was. He knew that if he wanted to keep Reagan and
Trey in his life he had to make sacrifices, such as keeping his distance from
them while in the public eye. He knew Trey had a past with Brian Sinclair and
no amount of wishing would ever change that. What he didn’t know was how he was
supposed to come to terms with such realities.

“He’ll
always love Brian,” Dare said. “Always.”

Ethan’s
breath caught in his throat as his worst nightmare reared its ugly head. “I
suppose you think I should step aside.”

“Fuck
no. What I’d really like is for you to embed yourself so far under Trey’s skin
that he forgets Brian ever existed.”

Ethan
gaped at him, and Dare smiled before releasing a short laugh. “I’m not sure
it’s possible. Their friendship is important to both of them. I don’t know how
Trey can let him go when he sees him every day. Hell, it’s hard to let go of
someone you’ve loved for ten years even when they’re dead.” Dare frowned into
his glass and tossed back the remainder of the amber liquid in one gulp.

Ethan
blinked at him. “You’re not suggesting I kill Brian, are you?” He wasn’t quite
that jealous. At the moment, anyway.

Dare’s
head turned. “What? No. I was talking about someone else.”

Himself,
Ethan decided.

“So
what should I do?”

Dare’s
gaze followed his brother as he twirled a giggling Reagan across the dance floor.
“Love him like no one is watching.”

“I
wish that were possible,” Ethan said, Dare’s advice making his body tense with
dread. Hell, he couldn’t even love Trey freely in front of his own family, much
less the world. “Did you have this conversation with Reagan?”

“She
doesn’t need to be told,” he said, nodding toward the laughing pair as they
added a deep dip to their drunken dance. Trey dropped her on the floor and
instead of helping her up, decided it was more fun to join her. “She does it
naturally.”

“But
she’s not the third wheel in this relationship,” Ethan said.

“And
neither are you.”

Hell,
what did Dare know? Nothing. That’s what.

Seeming
to realize he’d overstayed his welcome, Dare scraped himself out of his chair
and gave Ethan’s shoulder a squeeze. “Your first session is free.” He walked
away chuckling to himself, though Ethan had no idea what he found so humorous.

A
few minutes later Trey dumped a very tipsy Reagan into Dare’s recently vacated
seat. “Did you miss me?” she asked, first leaning against his arm and then
sliding down his body until her head was in his lap. His first instinct was to
stroke her hair and let her rest there for a while, but he went with his second
instinct and helped her sit upright beside him.

“I
think you’ve had a few too many,” Ethan said.

“I’m
just dizzy because Trey . . .” She blinked her eyes and tried to
focus them. “Where did he go?”

“I’m
right behind you.”

Her
head fell back, and she smiled when Trey leaned over her to gaze down into her
flushed face.

“That’s
where I like you best.” She burst into an incontrollable fit of giggles.

“I
think it’s time we head back to our room,” Ethan said. At least there he’d be
able to touch her—and Trey—without everyone staring. Questioning. Judging.

“But
I want to dance with you,” Reagan said, grabbing Ethan’s hand and tugging.

“We
can’t. Not here. You know that,” he said.

Trey
gave him a sad little smile and gazed at him through his black bangs. Ethan’s
heart twisted with longing.
Love him like no one’s watching.
Dare’s
words echoed in Ethan’s mind. If only it were that simple.

“Did
you have a nice chat with my brother?” Trey asked, flopping into the vacant
seat beside Ethan.

“You’re
lucky to have a brother like him,” Ethan said. One who accepted him exactly as
he was. Ethan knew his six half brothers weren’t so open-minded.

“I
know that better than anyone,” Trey said. “I wish you’d stop sulking in the
corner and have some fun with us.”

Ethan
glanced at Reagan, who was slumped back in her chair with her eyes closed.
She’d definitely had too much to drink.

“Do
you really wish that?” Ethan asked quietly. People would be able to tell that
there was more between the three of them than friendship. Maybe Trey would be
able to deal with the backlash, but Ethan wasn’t sure if he was prepared, and
he knew excessive negativity would completely diminish Reagan’s natural spark.