Double Time

Chapter 10

Reagan almost swallowed her tongue when Harold showed her into the kitchen and she found Dare slicing fruit on the dark, granite countertop of the kitchen island. He was shirtless. His hair wet from a recent shower. Beard stubble recently trimmed. His expression dreamy and contemplative. Dare Mills. Yum-to-the-um.

Dare glanced up from his task and smiled at her in welcome. “There you are. I never got your number yesterday so I couldn’t call and let you know that today is a no go.”

Reagan’s heart sank. “A no go?”

“Max went to Vegas with Logan to blow off some steam. Steve took off to the wilderness somewhere, and I have sudden plans to go to Hawaii. I’m leaving tonight.”

Reagan’s excitement waned. How was she supposed to get ready to go on tour with them if she didn’t practice with them?

“He has a girlfriend there,” Trey said.

“I haven’t seen her in a while.”

Trey slipped onto a barstool, picked up slices of strawberries with his fingers, and popped them into his mouth. “You could have called me, Dare. I would have relayed the message.”

Dare just kept right on slicing a peach as his little brother helped himself. “I tried to call you. It kept going to voice mail.”

“I probably need to charge my phone.”

“So I had an idea,” Dare said to Reagan. “You wouldn’t learn much you don’t already know by hanging out here in the studio for two weeks without the band. Have you ever been on tour?”

“Not really,” she admitted. “All of Bait-n-Switch’s gigs were local.”

“Why don’t you go with Trey and hang out with Sinners for a couple of weeks? Learn what goes on behind the scenes.”

“Besides the beer and pussy?” Trey said, helping himself to slices of Dare’s peach now.

Reagan whipped her head around to glare at him.

He chuckled. “Kidding.”

“Sure,” Dare said with a grin as he rinsed an apple in the sink situated in the center of his kitchen island. He started to cut the apple into thin slices on a cutting board. “Trey gets all the beer and pussy he wants, whenever he wants it.”

Reagan scowled. “I bet he does.”

Trey grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to stand between his legs with her back to the counter. “Yours is the only pussy I want. I will take a beer though.”

Dare snorted. “That’s another reason you should go on tour with him, Reagan. To keep an eye on him. I think his record for celibacy is about twelve hours.”

“I’ve gone a few days without,” Trey said.

“A few days?” Reagan bellowed.

“How many more tour dates does Sinners have?” Dare asked.

“Eight shows in the next fourteen days. Then a week of rehearsal for the new show with you guys, and then back on the road again for… I don’t remember. A long fucking time.”

“So that means fourteen days without sex.” Dare laughed. “He won’t make it, Reagan.”

“Don’t worry. I am perfectly capable of jerking off for a couple of weeks,” Trey assured her. He took a slice of strawberry and used it to trace her lips. The very idea of him with his hands on some other woman, his cock inside some other woman, another woman watching him come, had her seething.

“I think Dare has a great idea. If I go on tour with you and Sinners, I won’t be so anxious when I start out with Exodus End.”

Trey fed her the slice of strawberry. “Well, if you want to go, I don’t see why you can’t. All the other guys have brought a woman on tour with Sinners in the past. About time I took advantage of that privilege.”

“And you can help me practice my music, too,” she said, really warming up to the idea now. “And maybe Brian can help me work on my triplets.”

“I’m sure he’d be happy to.”

“Really?” she said, wrapping her arms around Trey’s neck. “He’s such an amazing guitarist!”

Dare cleared his throat.

“You all are amazing guitarists,” she hurriedly rectified.

“We’re all amazing guitarists,” Trey amended.

Reagan smiled. “Right. We’re all amazing guitarists.”

“If you’re coming along, you better go get packed. Brian’s supposed to be here in an hour to fly back to Oklahoma City to meet up with the bus for tonight’s show in Topeka.” Trey smiled sweetly. “I wonder how his little one is doing.”

“He called this morning and said Myrna was checking out of the hospital. I think she and the baby are coming out to the airstrip to see him off.”

“Aw,” Reagan said. “I’ll get to see baby Sinclair?”

“If you hurry.” Trey patted her butt. “We’ve got to make it in time for the show tonight. Have the limo run you home.”

“What do I bring?”

He leaned back to look her over. “A box of condoms and some energy drinks.”

She rolled her eyes and shook her head at him.

“Just pack as if you’re going on a two-week vacation. I don’t know what you need to bring. Chick stuff.”

“Don’t bother bringing your guitar,” Dare said, slicing a pear now. “You can grab one of Max’s from the practice room.”

She pecked Trey on the lips. “I’ll be right back,” she promised and raced toward the front door to find the limo before she regained her senses and changed her mind.

As soon as Reagan was out of earshot, Trey picked up a peach and threw it at Dare. It stuck to the center of his bare chest.

“What the fuck, Dare? Why did you put me on the spot like that?”

“I knew you were too stupid to think of it on your own.” He peeled the piece of fruit off his chest and popped it in his mouth.

“Are you even going to Hawaii?”

“No. I broke up with Cassidy weeks ago. The rest was true though. Max and Logan went to Vegas as soon as Steve took off into the wilderness. Can’t blame Steve for heading out. You know what he’s like. He needs trees.”

“And you’re going to just stick around here by yourself?”

“I’ll probably do a little entertaining.” He grinned. “Or be a little entertained. So how did things go with Reagan last night?”

Trey checked over his shoulder to make sure she hadn’t returned unexpectedly. “She’s phenomenal.”

“Yeah. I thought you’d like her. Is she okay with your bisexual side?”

“She doesn’t know. And I’m not going to tell her. I’m giving up men.”

Dare shook his head at him. “Right, Trey. Good plan,” he said sarcastically.

“Her ex is bisexual. She caught him cheating on her with a man. She’s not very open to that kind of thing.”

“Hmm,” Dare said, munching on a slice of apple, his green eyes reflective. “You should dump her now then. She’ll just wind up hurt when you put your snake in a dark tunnel.”

Trey threw another slice of peach at his idiot brother. “I won’t be putting my snake in any dark tunnel. Unless it’s hers. I want this to work between us. I want a normal relationship. Last night was amazing. I want to keep that going.”

“Trey, you can’t deny what you are. You need to find a woman who accepts that part of you as part of the package. You’ll never be happy if you give up men entirely. I know you won’t.”

“Just butt out. Okay? Let me do this my way.”

Dare sighed and reached for a pineapple. He hacked off the top with more force than necessary before grabbing some fancy gadget that trimmed it into a neat, hollow cylinder. “Just don’t chase her off, Trey. We need her for the tour.”

“I’m not going to chase her off. I’m going to make her mine.”

The doorbell rang. Trey’s heart thudded with excitement, and he stood up from the barstool. “I bet that’s Brian.”

“Don’t wet yourself there, Trey.”

“Shut up.” He hadn’t seen Brian in over a day. He had a lot to tell him. And he missed him. A lot. Just because Trey had given up on Brian loving him didn’t mean that he’d fallen out of love with the man. Trey didn’t know if he’d ever stop loving Brian. Not completely.

By the time Trey made it to the foyer, Brian and crew were already inside the house. Brian had a diaper bag slung over one shoulder, a baby carrier in his free hand, and was trying to coax Myrna into a nearby chair.

“I’m fine, sweetheart,” she said, “really.”

“Since when did they start letting women out of the hospital after one day of rest? It’s insane,” Brian insisted. “Please, baby, sit. I don’t think you should be out of bed yet.”

“Brian, I’m fine. Just a little tired.”

“Did you call Jessica?”

“Yes, I called her. She said she’d meet me here and stay with me at the house until you get back from tour. And when she’s unavailable, Aggie said she’d help out too.” So Myrna had agreed to let the lady Sinners—Sed and Jace’s respective fiancées—help her out. Trey was actually surprised that she would admit to needing help.

Brian breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m so glad they both agreed to stay with you. I can’t imagine leaving you alone right now.” Trey decided she’d done so only to give Brian some peace of mind.

Malcolm grunted in his carrier, and Brian set it on a decorative table, oblivious to the expensive vase he pushed aside. He had the baby out of his seat and cradled against his shoulder in record time. When Brian sniffed Malcolm’s tiny baby butt, Trey burst out laughing.

“Hey, Trey,” Myrna said. “Enjoy your day off?”

“You might say that,” Trey said and came further into the room.

“Is it time for him to eat?” Brian asked Myrna.

“It’s only been an hour,” she said with a weary smile.

“He made a noise,” Brian told her.

“They do that sometimes, sweetheart. You’re spoiling him.”

“Ah, God, I miss him already.” Brian cradled Malcolm in the crook of his arm and hummed some lullaby version of the Sinners song “Good-bye Is Not Forever” while gently bouncing him up and down.

“He’s going to puke on you if you aren’t careful,” Trey warned.

Brian pointed to a white spot on his shirt and grinned as if it were some treasure to behold. “He already did.”

The doorbell rang again. Dare had just taken a step into the room but stopped in his tracks and went to the door.

“Is the baby here?” Trey heard Jessica squeal from the front door.

“Uh, yeah, I think he came with his parents,” Dare answered.

Jessica breezed into the room, looking absolutely stunning as usual—a strawberry-blonde bombshell who looked like she belonged in a Playboy centerfold instead of in a courtroom. Trey was pretty sure some of her clients were repeat offenders just so they could see her again. Jessica gave Myrna a quick hug. “I’m so glad you called me,” she said. Jessica noticed Trey and gave his arm a squeeze as she zeroed in on Malcolm. “Oh,” she said, clutching her hands in front of her chest. “He’s adorable. Let me hold him.”

Brian in no way looked prepared to hand over his son until he had no choice, but the pride in Jessica’s excitement at seeing his child was apparently a good motivator. He handed over the kid but stayed beside her with his hand inches from Malcolm’s back as if he expected Jessica to drop him on the polished marble floor at any moment.

“Oh,” Jessica said again and cuddled the baby against her chest as if he were as fragile as wet paper. “Did you send a picture to Sed? He’ll die when he sees him.”

“Yeah, we sent the guys pictures,” Brian said, still hovering over Jessica. “They bitched about missing out on the fun.”

“Well, I wouldn’t call it fun,” Myrna said flatly. “Amazing, unbelievable, breathtaking, and wonderful, but not fun.”

Once Brian seemed sure that Jessica was trustworthy, he moved to stand beside his wife. He stroked her auburn hair with one hand. “Are you thirsty? Hungry? Can I get you something?”

“A glass of water would be nice,” she admitted.

“I’ll get it,” Dare said. “Harold!”

Trey watched Brian fuss over his wife, and though he was a little sad to watch Brian slip even farther away from him, Trey was glad that Brian was so happy. Absolute joy radiated off the guy. It was almost blinding.

“Who’s a handsome boy? Who’s a handsome boy? Who’s a handsome boy?” Jessica asked Malcolm who was gnawing on his fist and gazing at her with unfocused eyes. “That’s right. Malcolm’s a handsome boy. Malcolm’s a handsome boy.”

“He’s not a dog, Jess. Why are you talking to him like that?” Trey asked.

“He likes it,” she said. “Don’t you like it? Yes you do. Yes you do.”

“Well then, he’s the only one,” Trey muttered.

Myrna chuckled.

“I want to hold him again,” Brian said, following Jessica around the room as she continued to repeat herself incessantly. “You can hold him as much as you want after I’m gone.”

“Oh God, I want one,” Jessica said, hugging the baby before handing him back to his father.

“Are you sure you mean that?” Trey said.

“Yes, I mean it,” Jess said. “Look at him. He’s perfect.”

“I’m telling Sed you said that. He’ll have you knocked up in an hour. Even though he’s over twelve hundred miles away.”

“That’s some serious potency,” Myrna said.

Jessica hesitated. “My caseload at the practice is too heavy right now. I don’t have time for a baby.” She leaned against Brian and stared down at the tiny bundle in his arms. “Okay, fuck the job. I want a baby.”

Myrna laughed. “Shouldn’t you wait until after your wedding? You’ve been planning it for months.”

“Maybe Sed and I should do what you and Brian did. Just elope. I thought I wanted a big wedding, and Sed’s family wants us to have a big wedding, but even with an event planner helping us out, it is so stressful.”

“Do you want a big wedding, Jessica?” Myrna asked.

“Kinda,” Jessica admitted.

“Then have your big wedding or you’ll always regret it.”

Brian perked up. “Do you regret not having a big wedding?”

Myrna smiled. “Not at all. I didn’t want a big wedding. I just wanted you.”

Oh God, not the Brian/Myrna mushy mushy love stuff. Trey wasn’t sure if he could handle it today.

“Maybe I should just get pregnant now,” Jessica said. “I won’t be showing too much in three months. I should still be able to fit into my dress. Or I could get it altered.” She looked down and rubbed both hands over her flat belly.

Oh God, shoot me now, Trey thought. Babies, weddings, and pregnancies. What will they be talking about next? Their periods?

Dare finally managed to make it into the room to greet his guests. “How are you doing, Myrna?” he asked, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze. “You look gorgeous as usual. Are you sure you just had a baby?”

She beamed. “Oh, I’m sure,” she said.

“Harold’s bringing your glass of water and some other refreshments. I told him to hurry.”

“Thanks, Dare.”

“No problem. I hear you named that poor kid Malcolm Trey.” Dare nodded his head in the direction of Brian and Jessica who were competing for Malcolm’s complete lack of attention.

“It’s better than Malcolm Terrance, isn’t it?” Myrna asked. Terrance was Trey’s real first name, but even Myrna knew how much he hated it.

“Uh, sure,” Dare said. He turned toward the two kissy faces, who were undoubtedly driving little Malcolm bonkers. “Well, let’s have a look at this kid. Apparently he’s the biggest star in the house.”

Dare slipped the baby from Brian’s hold into the crook of one arm. The guy was a natural at everything. Even holding babies.

“Will you look at that? He already has his father’s rock star hairstyle.”

“He’s adorable,” Jessica crooned. “Yes he is. Yes he is. Adorable.”

Trey was beginning to feel sticky from all the sap in the room.

“When do we have to leave?” Brian asked, coaxing Malcolm out of Dare’s arms and back into his.

“As soon as Reagan gets back,” Trey said.

“Reagan?” Brian, Jessica, and Myrna questioned in unison.

“Trey’s new girlfriend,” Dare said.

“Trey has a girlfriend?” Brian said in disbelief.

“Yeah,” Dare said.

“Trey does? That Trey.” Brian pointed at Trey.

“Yes, I have a girlfriend. Is that so hard to believe?”

Brian nodded his head. “Yes, it’s very hard to believe. You’ve never had a girlfriend in your adult life.”

“Never?” Jessica questioned, trying to get Malcolm to grip her finger in his fist.

“Depending on how you define girlfriend, I have dozens of them. Had,” he rectified.

“The series of women you string along in every town aren’t girlfriends; they’re conquests,” Brian said.

“Well, Reagan is my girlfriend. And she’s going on tour with us.”

“How long have you known this chick?” Brian asked.

“We met yesterday.”

“And did you decide she was going on tour with us before or after you fucked her?”

“Brian, don’t be crude,” Myrna said. “You asked me to marry you the day after we met.”

Brian scratched his head. “You’re right,” he said. “As usual.”

“Reagan touring with Sinners was my idea,” Dare said. “She’s our new rhythm guitarist, and I figured it would do her good to spend a couple of weeks out on tour before she’s subjected to the insanity that surrounds Exodus End. She’s talented but not very experienced.”

“You hired a female guitarist?” Jessica asked.

“Uh, yeah,” Dare said. “She fuckin’ rocked our faces off.”

“That is so awesome,” Jessica said. “I can’t wait to meet her. I bet she’s cool. Is she cool?”

“She must be pretty terrific if she’s got Trey thinking commitment.” Brian grinned at him and punched him in the chest.

“She is,” Trey said. The thought of her made him smile. “Terrific. And cool.”

When the doorbell rang about twenty minutes later, Trey went to answer it himself. He found Reagan on the doorstep breathless and lugging two huge suitcases.

“I didn’t know what I’d need, so I brought everything.”

“I told you all you needed was a box of condoms.”

She thrust a paper bag at him. “I bought six dozen. Is that enough?”

Trey laughed and kissed her tenderly. He enjoyed the sensation of her lips against his so much that instead of pulling away he deepened the kiss. Her rolling suitcase tipped over as she released its handle to draw him closer.

“I missed you,” he murmured against her lips.

“You did?”

“Mmm hmm.” He kissed her again to prove it.

“You’d better go grab a guitar, Reagan,” Dare said from behind Trey. “The jet is waiting for you guys.”

Trey reluctantly released Reagan and grabbed the handle of her suitcase.

“Is this seriously my life?” she said, shaking her head and following Dare in the direction of the practice room. “I don’t recall rubbing a magic lantern and making three wishes.”

Trey watched her walk down the hall next to Dare until she was out of sight and then wheeled her suitcase into the parlor where everyone was waiting.

“So where is she?” Brian asked, craning his neck to look behind Trey.

Trey couldn’t resist fucking with him. “She’s right here in this suitcase. She’s an amazing contortionist.”

“A contortionist?”

“Yeah. Why do you think I fell for her so quickly? She can wrap both ankles around her neck and lick her own clit.”

Brian’s eyes widened. “No shit?”

“Shit no.” Trey shook his head and grinned. “She went with Dare to pick out a guitar.”

“Is she really that talented?” Brian asked.

“I think she could give you a run for your money, Master Sinclair.”

“We’ll see,” he said. He lifted sleeping Malcolm to his lips and then lowered him into his carrier. “I love you, little one. Keep an eye on your mom for me. You’re the man of the house when I’m away.”

Jessica hovered nearby to watch the little guy snooze. Brian drew Myrna to her feet and then led her out of the room so they could say their good-byes in private. With nothing better to do, Trey went to stand beside Jessica so he could watch his godson sleep.

“He really is amazing, isn’t he?” Jessica said.

Trey glanced over his shoulder in the direction Brian had disappeared. “Yeah. He really is.”

“I wonder if Sed’s ready to start a family.” Jessica stroked the baby’s cheek with her knuckles. “I sure do want one of these all of a sudden.”

“It’s that biological clock. Tick. Tick. Tick. I can hear it all the way over here.”

Jessica shoved him. “I’m not that old.”

She wasn’t old at all. She was just fun to tease.

“You know Sed has always wanted a bunch of kids,” Trey said.

“Yeah, every time we talk about it he adds another one to the brood. He thinks we need eight now.”

“Do you have any idea what that’s going to do to your vagina?”

“Trey!” She smacked him repeatedly in the arm.

Yeah. Fun to tease. She got riled up so easily. One of the many things that got Sed’s motor running for the woman. Not that Trey blamed him. Jessica was easily the most beautiful woman he’d ever met, and Trey had met a lot of women in his day. She was way too high-strung for Trey’s taste. Trey preferred someone more laid back. Like Reagan. She entered the room as if on cue carrying a guitar case in each hand. Dare had two as well.

“Reagan, we’re only going to be gone for two weeks,” Trey said. “You don’t need four guitars.”

“She wanted to bring eight,” Dare said. “This was our compromise.”

“They’re all so beautiful. I couldn’t pick favorites.”

Reagan tossed a questioning look in Jessica’s direction. Trey hadn’t realized they were standing so close to each other. Jessica had seen him hit rock bottom, so he was incredibly comfortable around her. Hell, he was incredibly comfortable around most people. Reagan would have to get used to it sooner rather than later.

“This is Jessica Chase.”

Reagan’s eyes widened. “I thought you looked familiar. I saw that video of you and Sed getting it on at the top of the Eif—”

Trey shook his head vigorously and luckily Reagan realized she should keep her knowledge of Sed and Jessica’s infamous sex video to herself.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Reagan Elliot.”

“So you’re a guitarist?” Jessica asked.

“Yeah. Can you believe this fucking shit? Yesterday I was a barista. Today I’m rhythm guitarist for the hottest metal band on the planet, dating the sexiest man in the universe, and about to get on a private jet to go on tour with a band I’ve idolized for years. Are you fecking serious? How did this happen?”

“Because you’re talented,” Dare said.

Reagan flushed. “You’re making my head swell.”

“You always make my head swell,” Trey quipped.

“You’ll have to show me that on the jet. Where’s Master Sinclair? Is he here?” Reagan glanced around the room.

“He’s saying good-bye to his wife,” Trey said. “It might be a while.”

“This is his new baby,” Jessica said, lifting Malcolm out of his carrier. The baby released a cry of protest and Brian dashed into the room.

“What’s wrong?”

“I just picked him up and startled him a little,” Jessica said. “He’s fine, Papa Bear.”

“He shouldn’t be handled by too many people,” Dare said. “His little immune system can’t handle all the germs.”

Brian paled.

“I’ll take him,” Myrna said, walking rather slow and grimacing with each step. She collected the baby in her arms and he immediately started rooting around for a meal.

“He knows his mother already,” Brian said and stroked Malcolm’s hair.

Reagan dropped her guitar case and her fingers dug into Trey’s arm. He glanced at her and she looked like she was about to faint or explode or something. He followed her line of sight to Brian. Trey hoped she didn’t go all fangirl in front of everyone. He’d just told Jessica that she was cool.

“Is this your girlfriend?” Myrna asked Trey.

“Yeah, this is Reagan.”

“Nice to meet you.” Myrna examined Reagan from head to toe. Her gaze finally settled on Reagan’s guitar case. “You’re a very attractive woman. I have a thing for guitarists, you know,” Myrna said.

Brian choked. He turned to look at Reagan and his eyes widened. “If you want to hook up with her, Myrna, you totally have my permission,” he said, “but only if I get to participate.”

Myrna chuckled. “I wasn’t serious, baby. But you are. Serious. You need to relax. You’re going to explode. Everything will be fine. I promise.”

Brian sighed and kissed her temple. “I’m going to miss you. Make sure you take a picture of Malcolm every hour and send it to me. And video. Record lots of videos. I don’t want to miss anything.”

Myrna cupped his face with her free hand. “I will. I promise.”

“Jessica,” Brian said, tearing his gaze off his little family long enough to glance at Sed’s fiancée. “I know Myr won’t call me if there’s a problem, so you’d better.”

Jessica nodded.

“She can always call me if she needs anything,” Dare said. “I’ll be here.” Trey cleared his throat and luckily Dare was a mind reader. “I’ll just cancel my trip to Hawaii,” he added. “No big deal.”

Trey took Reagan’s hand. “Let’s go get on the plane.”

She was still gaping at Brian, so Trey had to give her a tug. She inhaled as if startled and looked at Trey. “Plane? Yeah, okay,” she said. She picked up the guitar case she had dropped.

Trey collected her suitcases. “We’ll see you in a couple of weeks,” he said.

Reagan said, “Nice to meet you all.”

“We’ll talk when you get off tour,” Myrna said. “I’d love to get the perspective of a female musician for the book I’m writing.”

“Sure,” Reagan agreed.

“I’ll be there in a few,” Brian said before continuing to say his good-byes with his wife. There was a lot of open-mouthed kissing involved in the process.

Carrying two guitar cases, Dare followed Trey and Reagan toward the back of the house where the airstrip was located.

“Sorry you didn’t get a better introduction,” Trey said to Reagan.

“It’s okay. Everyone’s excited about the new baby. I understand.”

“Brian isn’t going to handle this separation well,” Dare commented. “He’s going to need your support to get through this, Trey.”

Trey was always willing to support Brian. It felt kind of strange that Trey didn’t consider this an opportunity to try to get Brian to fall in love, or in bed, with him. Maybe Trey’s feelings for Brian were starting to change. “All the guys will be there for him. You know that,” Trey said.

“But he’ll need you most.”

“I never realized he was such a family man,” Reagan said. “I remember how crushed I was when I found out he’d gotten himself married and was no longer available. He really loves his wife though. I can tell.”

“Those two are forever,” Trey said and smiled.

When they reached the sleek black jet, Reagan entered first. She started squealing excitedly as soon as she was onboard. “This is amazing! Oh my God! I’ve never been on a private jet before.”

Trey and Dare followed her aboard. They watched her dart about the cabin as she inspected the wet bar and the entertainment center. The comfortable leather captain chairs, the sofa, and the bathroom. “Room in here for sex,” she announced.

A surge of lust pulsed through Trey’s groin. Their make-out session in the limo that morning already had his motor running in second gear, and that little comment shifted it into third.

“Yeah there is,” Dare murmured to Trey out of the corner of his mouth.

Trey was certain Dare knew that from experience.

“Reagan, sweetheart, you really need to work on your cool rock star veneer while you’re on tour with Sinners,” Dare said. “No matter how excited you are about something, you have to pretend it’s the most fucking boring thing you’ve ever encountered. It’s pretty much expected that you act that way. Like it or not, honey, you’re a rock star now.”

“I am?”

Dare nodded.

“Okay,” Reagan said. “I’ll try.” She pretended to stifle a yawn. “I can’t believe this jet doesn’t have an Olympic-sized swimming pool and full spa facilities. How can I be expected to exist under these horrible conditions? Where’s my fuckin’ beer? It better be cold.” She glanced at Dare, who laughed. “How’s that?”

“Much better.”

“I should probably warn you that Sinners don’t live like this,” Trey said. “Not even close.”

“I can’t wait to see the inside of your tour bus,” Reagan said. “I usually have to suck off at least two roadies to get in to see a band.”

Trey gaped at her and she laughed.

“I’m kidding,” she said.

When he relaxed, she added, “It usually only takes one.”

Dare tossed his head back and laughed until Trey thought he might pass out from lack of air. “She is so perfect for you, little brother.”

Trey couldn’t argue. He happened to agree.

Reagan kept one eye on the open door of the jet waiting for Brian Sinclair to make an appearance. She would do her damnedest not to go ape shit ballistic when she saw him, but as much as she’d been starstruck the first time she’d met Trey and the members of Exodus End, when she’d seen Brian she’d almost had a coronary. The man had entirely changed her life. If he hadn’t influenced her style of guitar-playing, she wouldn’t be in the incredible position at all. Still, she didn’t want to annoy him by prostrating herself at his feet or damaging his eardrums with rapturous squeals.

She heard voices outside the open door of the jet and her body stiffened.

“Are you nervous?” Trey asked. He reached across the aisle and took her hand to give it an encouraging squeeze.

“A little. I’ll try not to embarrass myself.”

“Why would you embarrass yourself?”

“Because I’m about to be trapped on a jet for more than two hours with the Brian Sinclair.”

“Last night you got laid by the Trey Mills.”

“And it was amazing,” she said, rolling her eyes toward the ceiling to express her bliss.

“If you play your cards right, you might get laid by the Trey Mills in the bathroom back there in about half an hour.” Trey nodded over his shoulder to the back of the plane.

“Do I get a hint?”

“A hint?”

“On how to play my cards right?”

“You’ve been playing them right since the moment I laid ears on you. Don’t change a thing.”

“The moment you laid ears on me?”

“Yep, nothing sexier than the way Brian Sinclair plays a guitar, except finding a woman who plays just like him.”

There he went again referring to Brian in a way that most men never would. She supposed they would be closer than most friends, seeing as they spent most of their lives crammed in a tour bus together. Still, something felt a little off about their relationship. Maybe it would make more sense to her when she spent more time watching how they interacted.

“Do you think Brian will show me some of his techniques?” Reagan asked. “Or are they secrets?”

“I’m sure he’d be happy to work with you. Hopefully it will take his mind off having to leave his family.”

Trey stared down at his thumbs. There had been a time when Sinners had been Brian’s family. And then he’d married Myrna. And now that he had Malcolm… Trey wasn’t sure where he fit in the man’s life anymore.

Brian climbed onto the airplane and took a seat across from Trey. “Look at the picture I just took,” he said, holding up his cell phone so Trey could see the screen. In the picture Brian had his arm around Myrna who was cradling Malcolm against her chest. All three of them were smiling like idiots. Even the baby, who probably just had some gas. The picture was a little blurry because Brian had taken it by holding the camera phone in front of them with an extended arm, but the love displayed in that candid moment stole Trey’s breath.

“It’s great,” he said.

Brian looked at the picture and smiled. “Yeah. She’s supposed to send me lots of pictures until I come home in a couple days.”

“A couple days? We have two more weeks of shows.”

“And any day I have off I’m flying back. Dare already said I could use the jet anytime I want.”

“You’re going to wear yourself out.”

“I don’t care. Knowing I’ll see them again in a few days is the only thing that got me on the plane.”

“I can only imagine how hard it was to say good-bye to them,” Reagan said.

Brian glanced at her and smiled warmly. “So you’re Trey’s new girl.”

Trey loved the man’s smile. It always showed in his eyes. He was so genuine. It was one of the many reasons why Trey had stayed in love with the guy for so long. Hell, he still loved Brian even if he was letting him go. Or trying to. It had been a lot easier to pretend he could move on when Brian had been out of sight.

“I guess you could say that.” Reagan beamed and Trey found himself just as smitten with her smile as he was with Brian’s.

“So you play guitar. Metal?” Brian asked.

The engines started and Reagan had to talk extra loud to be heard. “You’re my greatest influence.”

“I am?” Brian’s brow knitted with confusion. “How long have you been playing?”

“Three years,” Trey said. “Can you believe it?”

“That’s amazing. Can’t wait to hear your work,” Brian said. His phone beeped and he grinned when he looked at the screen. He held up the display for Trey to see. “Look! He’s feeding.”

Breast feeding. Trey averted his gaze. He’d licked those breasts about a year ago. And now… It was going to be a long two weeks.

“Please remember to turn off all electronic devices through the duration of the flight. Make sure your seatbelts are fastened during takeoff. I will let you know when it’s safe to move about the cabin.” The pilot’s voice came over the intercom. She had a sexy, British accent. Trey could have listened to her talk for hours. “Enjoy your flight.”

Brian switched off his phone but continued to hold it in his hand on his lap. He offered Trey a depressed smile before settling his gaze on Reagan. “So tell me how you came to be the rhythm guitarist for Exodus End,” he said.

She shifted into full-out gush mode, and Trey sat there grinning as she articulated every word with a hand gesture or facial expression. He’d never met anyone as animated as she was. Well, besides the few actors he knew. “So I’m at this club with my girlfriends. We all had a few too many and were trying to figure out how we were going to get home, when the bassist of my old band happens into the club. Chad’s a real sweetheart. I didn’t get along with our lead singer, but I’d work with Chad again. So I went to bum a ride from him and he says, ‘Just the guitarist I was looking for.’ I figured he wanted me to play for some new band he formed, but he shows me this ad in Guitar Planet for the contest with Exodus End. Go on Tour with Exodus End for a Year, or something like that. It said to enter you had to send a demo to the record company and sign a release and some other bullshit. Sounded like a big hassle to me. I didn’t want to enter. Didn’t think I had any business entering since there was no chance I’d ever win. As a metal guitarist, I take a lot of shit for being a chick, you know. Chad bribed me into agreeing by offering to give all my girls a ride home. Plus my friends were really enthusiastic about the idea and I was drunk as shit, so I somehow agreed to enter. I cut the demo in Chad’s basement the next day and sent it in unedited. I didn’t think there was a snow cone’s chance in a bonfire that they’d ever pick my demo for the live audition. I just did it to get people off my back.”

“How many of the entrants got a live audition?” Brian asked.

“Five out of something like five thousand.”

Brian’s dark brows lifted in surprise. “Impressive.”

“When the contest coordinator called, I thought they were making stuff up. That Chad had put one of his buddies up to calling me and giving me a hard time. My old band members are notorious for fucking with me.” She paused and lifted a hand of caution in Trey’s direction. “Not fucking me. I never slept with any of them. So after about ten minutes of trying to get this exasperated dude on the phone to admit he was a friend of Chad’s, it finally sunk in that I won the live audition. I was so nervous that I didn’t want to go. My roommate, Ethan, talked me into it. Reminding me how I’d always regret not giving my all. I knew he was right. I’d always wonder if I didn’t go through with it. I was so nervous in the studio yesterday, I thought I was going to hurl. And then Trey shows up right before the five finalists were scheduled to go into the booth for our live auditions. I think that’s when reality hit me. I put everything I had into that audition. Something about knowing Trey was listening really upped my game. I’m not sure how I would have done if he hadn’t showed up. I probably would have thrown up on my guitar and started crying.”

“I don’t deserve any credit,” Trey said. “She’s amazing. I actually thought she was you when I heard her play. She has the same balls-out style you play with.”

Brian laughed. “Now that I have to see.”

“I don’t let my balls out for just anyone,” Reagan said. She grabbed her crotch and pretended to shift her balls into a more comfortable position. “But I’ll make an exception in your case.”

Brian gaped at her and then burst out laughing. “So you two hooked up at the audition?”

“Afterward,” Trey said.

“He beat me in a guitar duel and then I took him for a ride in Exodus End’s limo.” She shifted in her seat and looked over her shoulder to the bathroom at the rear of the plane. “Speaking of taking Trey for a ride.”

Brian’s gaze followed Reagan’s to the bathroom door. His face twisted as if he were in pain and he groaned. “The doctor said I can’t fuck Myrna for six weeks. I’m going to die.”

Trey wasn’t sure how Brian could even think about Myrna in a sexual capacity after watching her give birth. If Trey ever decided to have kids, he would insist his woman have a C-section. Just the memory of natural childbirth had Trey a bit woozy.

“When do we get to lose the seat belts?” Reagan asked.

“They’ll announce it,” Brian said. He lifted his phone to give it a look of longing before tucking it back in his pocket.

“So how did you meet your wife?” Reagan asked. She sure knew how to earn brownie points with Brian.

Brian grinned. “She saw me fall off a table in a hotel bar and still thought I was hot enough to take up to her room.”

“And then she pushed him away for months,” Trey added. At the time Trey had been torn between wanting Brian to be happy by winning Myrna’s affection and wanting him to give up on her so he might have a fighting chance. The thing was, besides the two times that he and Brian had gone all the way in high school, they’d never been intimate again. Not for Trey’s lack of trying. It was as if Brian had checked homosexual experience off his life’s to-do list and never really thought about it again. Trey, on the other hand, had been hung up on the experience for over ten years. He was lucky that Brian had patience. He had to know that Trey still wanted him, and Brian never intentionally hurt him. Instead Brian seemed content for Trey to outgrow his infatuation. Maybe it would have been easier if Brian had just shredded Trey’s heart and left him to wallow in despair for a few months instead of that constant ignore-the-situation-and-it-will-go-away stance he’d taken. Trey didn’t blame Brian though. He knew how important their friendship was to him. It was as equally important to Trey. If Brian had treated him any differently, their friendship might have dissolved as well, and that might have hurt their music. Trey supposed that waiting it out had worked eventually. Maybe. His heart still fluttered every time he looked at Brian. He still thought about how connected he’d felt to the man the first time they’d made love, and how that connection had somehow lasted for twelve years.

He glanced at Reagan and found her watching him closely. Had he been staring at Brian with open longing? Shit. If he wasn’t careful, she’d figure out that he was interested in men. He smiled at her and she offered him an answering smile. The connection he’d forged with her the night before returned to the forefront of his mind. He wondered if he’d carry a torch for her forever the same way he carried a torch for the first man he’d ever felt that connection with. The idea scared him, yet if she embraced it, instead of ignoring it, maybe they could build something substantial. Trey didn’t know if he could handle another one-sided love affair. There was one significance difference in this relationship. Reagan was interested in him. He had to trust her intentions.

“We’re now at cruising altitude,” the pilot said over the intercom. “Feel free to move about the cabin. Help yourself to anything in the galley.”

Reagan removed her seat belt and slid onto Trey’s lap. “Do you count as something in the galley?” she asked. “I’d like to help myself to you.”

“Technically I’m not in the galley, but you can still help yourself.”

Reagan stole a kiss, her arms wrapping around his neck. “I’m so lucky,” she whispered in his ear.

His hand slid up her shirt to slide over the bare skin of her side.

Brian sighed. “Don’t mind me.”

“In the good old days I would have asked you to join us. Now you’re all married and boring,” Trey said, peering around Reagan to see if his taunt had wiped the scowl from Brian’s handsome face.

“What I wouldn’t give for a time machine,” Reagan said.

Brian smirked and shook his head. “Go on. Have fun. I’ll sit here and mope a while longer.”

Reagan unfastened Trey’s seat belt and climbed to her feet. She leaned over him and spoke into his ear, not quietly enough to exclude Brian, so Trey could only conclude that she was trying to tease Brian out of his funk. “I’ll go into the bathroom. You come join me in a couple of minutes so no one will suspect anything.”

“Yeah, okay. Good plan,” he said with a chuckle.

He watched her walk down the wide aisle and close herself in the bathroom.

“She’s cute,” Brian said. “Kind of a tomboy, but I can see why you like her.”

“Does it bother you?” Trey asked.

“Does what bother me?”

“That I have a steady girlfriend.”

“It’s a little sudden, but of course it doesn’t bother me. I’m happy for you. I hope it works out. You deserve the love of a good woman.”

Trey wasn’t sure why that made him a little sad. He wanted Brian to like Reagan. He also wanted Brian to be insanely jealous and tell him he wasn’t allowed to love anyone but him. He knew it was fucked up to still feel that way, but at least he no longer wanted to feel that way. That was progress, wasn’t it?

“I’ll try not to make her scream too loud.”

Brian chuckled. “Fuck her brains out. You know I wouldn’t consider your misery if our positions were reversed.”

Positions reversed? Trey pictured himself dragging Brian into the bathroom. Shoving him against the wall. Taking everything he wanted from him. Trey bit his lip and rose from his seat, hoping Brian didn’t notice how hard he was all of a sudden. Of course, Brian would probably think he was hard for Reagan, not him. Trey’s desire was as fucked up as his feelings were. He had a lot of work to do.

He retrieved a strip of condoms from a box in the paper sack he’d brought onboard and headed for the bathroom. He knocked and then opened the door. Entirely naked, Reagan reached into the corridor and jerked him into the small bathroom before securing the door behind him. The lavatory was a bit larger than a standard airplane bathroom, but not by much. Trey pressed her against the wall behind the door and claimed her mouth with a deep, seeking kiss. He needed that senseless, disconnected release he was accustomed to. He didn’t give her time to draw him out of his shell this time. He squeezed her breasts and then released his belt and the fly of his jeans. He tore his mouth away from hers long enough tear a condom open with his teeth.

“Trey?” she gasped in question.

He silenced her with another kiss. He just wanted to come. He didn’t want to talk. And he didn’t want to think about Brian. Or even Reagan. He just needed a body to lose himself in for twenty minutes. Was that so wrong?

He pushed her up the wall and struggled to hold her there with one hand while he used his other to guide his cock into her receptive body. Once inside her, he shuddered with delight and shifted both arms to hold her securely while he thrust up into her. Things were going exactly as he’d envisioned until she began to touch him with a tenderness he didn’t deserve. He tore his mouth from hers. “We need to hurry,” he lied to explain his need for impersonal urgency.

“Look at me, Trey,” she said.

He buried his face in her neck. “I need to concentrate.”

She grabbed two handfuls of hair and jerked his head back. “Look at me,” she demanded.

He opened his eyes and then his mouth to tell her she didn’t have a right to treat him so harshly, but before the words even formed he got lost in her loving gaze.

“There you are, lover,” she murmured. “That’s what I want.”

They stared at each other as their bodies moved together with an increasing tempo. Reagan’s cries of ecstasy started as a soft coo and soon escalated to screams of enthusiasm. Trey got caught up her vocalizations and started answering them with shouts of his own.

“Come with me,” she chanted. “Come with me. Come with me.”

“Yes, yes, yes,” he answered.

Her hips buckled and her fingers dug into his scalp as she cried out in ecstasy. He pumped into her vigorously and let go. He forced himself not to close his eyes as his body claimed release and was rewarded with the look of pure bliss that settled over her lovely face. “Oh God, Trey, I’m coming so hard.” He almost dropped her when her entire body went taut.

“That’s it, baby. Get off.”

If he hadn’t already come, the sounds she made as she found release would have sent him over the edge. After a long intense moment, she sagged back against the wall, wrapping her arms around his body to draw him against her. “Fuck,” she gasped in his ear. “That was amazing.”

He murmured something against her throat in agreement, so glad she’d made him look at her and hadn’t allowed him to treat her like a meaningless sex partner.

Trey released her begrudgingly, and she did her best to clean up in the tiny sink while he looked for the best place to dispose of his condom.

“Trey?”

He glanced up to look at her.

“Is there something more between you and Brian than friendship?”

Trey hoped she took his shock for denial instead of acceptance. “No. Why would you think that?”

“Just a few things you’ve said. And the way you look at him.”

“What way is that?”

“Like you love him.”

“I do,” he said. “I love all the members of my band. They’re like my family.”

While she pulled her T-shirt over her head, he turned to face the wall and mouthed, Shit, shit, shit repeatedly. How had she picked up on that so easily? And if he was that transparent, how come Brian never recognized it?

“Do you think he heard us?” She bumped into him as she struggled to put on her panties.

“I don’t know if he heard me, but I’m sure he heard you. You were screaming like a horror picture bimbo.”

She slapped him on the arm. “Was not.”

“How about I ask him?”

“Don’t,” she pleaded. She grabbed his arm and spun him to face her. “I didn’t mean to get that loud. You got me carried away. I forgot where I was.”

Three points for the Trey-ster.

He waited for her to squirm into her pants before he opened the door. He took the seat across from Brian, stretched his legs out in front of himself, and crossed them at the ankles. He folded his arms behind his head and sighed in contentment. Brian, who had been staring out the window, turned his head to look at him.

“Done already?” Brian asked.

“Had to hurry. We’ll be landing soon.”

Brian shook his head. “I couldn’t tell if you were killing her or screwing her. There isn’t a dead body in the bathroom, is there?”

Before Trey could assure Brian that he hadn’t murdered Reagan, she exited the bathroom and sat on the far end of the sofa. Her face was beet red.

“I didn’t hear anything,” Brian told her. “But if you scream like that on the tour bus, Eric will tease you and Sed will cuss you out for making him horny. You might want to borrow a gag from Jace.”

“I thought you didn’t hear anything,” Reagan said.

“I didn’t. Just sayin’.”

Reagan grinned at Brian. “Can I get my guitar out now? I brought one acoustic with me.”

Trey wasn’t sure how the woman could think about working. He wanted to take a nap.

Brian perked up, his gloomy expression replaced with one of interest. “Yeah. Let’s hear what you’ve got.”

Reagan found the thickest of her guitar cases and opened it to reveal a black lacquered acoustic guitar. “This baby sings,” Reagan said, strumming the strings lightly. “Max did a great job breaking her in.”

She carried the guitar over to the sofa and sat with the instrument on one thigh.

“Good. You’re right-handed,” Brian said, leaving his seat to sit beside her. “Not a lefty like Trey. He does everything ass-backwards.”

“I think that’s part of the reason why you two complement each other so well,” Reagan said, smiling first at Trey then Brian.

“Takes him twice as long to learn a riff.”

“You’re just a freak of nature,” Trey told Brian.

“So I’ve watched all sorts of videos of you playing solos, but they never really catch your finger movements in the upper register. I sort of made up my own technique, but the notes never sound as crisp as yours. They all run together at that speed.”

“Show me,” Brian said.

Reagan played the triplet repeats of the solo to their newest single, “Betrayed.” She had to strum incredibly fast, because an acoustic sounded nothing like an electric guitar and wasn’t ideal for soloing. Brian watched the fingers of her left hand as they moved over the fret board.

“Don’t squeeze,” he said. “Tap.” He tapped the tops of her fingernails. “Short taps.”

She followed his instruction but still didn’t get the same quality of note that Brian got. He extended a hand. “Here, I’ll show you.”

She handed him the guitar and watched his fingers in rapt attention as he played the solo several times in a row. He didn’t bother strumming more than he would his electric guitar, so it didn’t sound much like a solo as most of the notes were almost silent with no pickups to amplify them. “I’ll show you on an electric tonight,” he said.

“I see what you’re doing.” She took his hand in hers and flipped it over to inspect his fingertips and then her own. “I need to work on some new callouses. Yours are more off-center than mine. I’m not hitting the strings in the same spot.”

“Instead of trying to copy me, maybe you should work on your own sound.”

She grinned at him. “But I like yours. Wish I would have come up with it first.”

“Why don’t you play some of the stuff you wrote?” Trey suggested. He still remembered the mesmeric riff she’d been playing in Dare’s studio when he’d taken her up on her challenge to duel. He’d watched her for several minutes before he found the sense to interrupt.

She flushed. “I’ll just embarrass myself.”

Most guitarists started out copying the guitarists they admired, and that would serve her fine as she took over for Max, but when she pushed to the next level in her career, she’d need to find her own sound. And be confident that she owned it.

Brian patted her knee. “You’ve got the talent. You’ll get there.” He climbed to his feet and found his seat. He reclined it. “I’m going to catch a little nap. Didn’t get much sleep at the hospital last night. I’d appreciate it if you two would keep the orgasmic screaming to a minimum.”

Trey stood and reached into an overhead bin. He pulled out a pillow and blanket and tossed them at Brian, hitting him dead in the face. If Reagan hadn’t already expressed her suspicions about Trey’s feelings for Brian, Trey would have chosen a less violent delivery, but he had to be careful not to show her how much he cared about him.

“Thanks,” Brian said sarcastically and stuffed the pillow under his head. He spread the blanket over his body and clutched it to his chest.

Trey turned the lights in the cabin down and winked at Reagan, who was sitting with her guitar still on her lap and watching him a bit too closely. Trey sat beside her on the sofa and took the guitar from her. He set it carefully on the floor and drew her into his arms. “We never got to cuddle after our initiation into the mile high club,” he murmured near her ear.

She shifted onto his lap and wrapped both arms around his neck. He mostly just held her for the next hour and stroked her skin tenderly. They exchanged a few sweet kisses, but Trey was far too preoccupied with Brian’s situation to intensify the passion between himself and Reagan. Brian wasn’t happy and if Brian wasn’t happy, none of the band was happy. Even though Sed led the band and they all looked to him to fix any logistical problems, Brian was their keystone, and without his talent, they had nothing to center themselves around. They all depended on him to be their creative focus. Trey was pretty sure Brian could stick it out for the next two weeks, but what of the next year? They’d just put out a new album they needed to promote. They were co-headlining with Exodus End all across North America, then Europe and Australia. Asia. South America. Brian might be able to fly back to see Myrna and Malcolm when he was within a few hours flight time, but from the other side of the globe? There was no way.

“What are you thinking about?” Reagan asked, her hand moving to stroke the tension from his forehead.

“The end of Sinners.”

She glanced at Brian who was out cold and drooling all over his pillow. “Maybe the band just needs to take a year off.”

“Maybe.” But then Sed and Jess would probably have a kid or twelve and they’d be in the same place. “I’m never having kids,” he muttered under his breath.

“Me neither,” she said.

Trey glanced down at her. He hadn’t meant to say that aloud and was surprised that Reagan wouldn’t want kids. Didn’t all women want them?

“You don’t want kids?”

She shook her head. “Do you have any idea what they do to your vagina?” she said. “No thank you.”

Trey laughed and squeezed her against him. “My perfect woman.”