Author: Olivia Cunning

“Ethan,” he groaned, “don’t.” Though his hands were pressing against the back of Ethan’s head and he was thrusting upward into Ethan’s mouth.

Ethan moved his hand to cover Trey’s mouth. Ethan lifted his head and stared into Trey’s startled eyes. “You’ll take what I give you and not complain. Stroke your cock while I suck it, and not in a way that you hurt yourself. So it feels good.”

When Trey nodded and wrapped one hand around his cock, Ethan moved his hand from his mouth and trailed it down his chest. He caught Trey’s nipple ring with the tip of his finger and tugged it gently in time with the stroke of his fingertip against his ass.

“F-feels so good,” Trey gasped.

Ethan kissed a trail down Trey’s flat belly, watching Trey’s hand to make sure he was stroking himself gently. “Good,” he murmured before sucking the head of Trey’s cock into his mouth. Trey’s entire body jerked. When Trey began to writhe and produce excited gasps of pleasure, Ethan decided he was in a hurry after all.

He released Trey’s cock and shifted to look him in the eye. “Are you ready for me?”

“I’m always ready for you.”

Ethan climbed onto the sofa, settled between Trey’s legs, and possessed him with slow, deep thrusts. He watched Trey’s reactions and could tell that physically Trey was enjoying every second of this, but he was still holding back that emotional connection Ethan craved. Mostly because even though they were face to face, Trey refused to look Ethan in the eye.

Ethan kissed Trey’s jaw tenderly and then whispered in his ear. “Why won’t you look at me? Are you ashamed?”

“Of course not.”

“Then why?

“I never look.”

Trey looked Reagan in the eyes when they made love. Ethan had been witness to it. And coveted the same interaction. Ethan lifted his head to stare down into Trey’s flushed face. He kissed the freckles on the bridge of Trey’s nose and smiled gently. He loved this man. It was about time he knew it.

“Look at me, Trey.”

Trey squeezed his eyes shut even more tightly and shook his head.

“You are ashamed.”

“I’m not. How can you think that?” He opened his eyes and glared at Ethan. That’s when Ethan knew he had him. Neither of them could look away as their bodies joined in perfect synchrony and Ethan got his first real look at Trey’s emotional side. It was a far greater gift than he’d anticipated.

“I love you,” Ethan said. “Trey.”

Trey’s eyes widened and he shook his head in denial.

Ethan held his gaze and nodded until Trey copied his motion and nodded as well.

“What are you going to do it about?” Ethan asked.

“I don’t know. Love you back?”

“Sounds wonderful. Tell me when you get there.”

“Almost,” Trey whispered with a crooked grin.

The double meaning wasn’t lost on Ethan. He rested his weight on one elbow and used his free hand to stroke Trey’s cock. Trey’s eyelids fluttered as he lost himself to pleasure, but he didn’t look away. Even when he let go in Ethan’s hand, he continued to stare into Ethan’s eyes. Ethan shuddered as he followed Trey to bliss, equally lost in the connection between them as he was in the release offered to his body.

He kissed Trey’s lips briefly. “That felt good,” he said.

“Of course it did.”

“I mean to finally tell you I love you. I’ve known since our first time together. Now that you know, are you going to make me leave?”

Trey shook his head and touched Ethan’s face. He searched his eyes for a moment. “It’s gone,” he said.

“What’s gone?”

“The emptiness. Reagan filled much of it, but there was a part of me I thought only Brian would ever touch. I don’t need him to feel loved anymore. I think… I think I need you for that, Ethan.”

Ethan smiled, his heart thudding with joy. “Do you mean that?”

“Yeah. I love you. Now cuddle with me for a few minutes and then we’ll go tell Reagan.”

Ethan reached for a packet of tissues to clean up himself and Trey. He tossed the tissues and his expended condom in the trash. He rejoined Trey on the sofa, squeezing in behind him with his back against the sofa back and Trey wrapped securely in his arms.

Trey snuggled against him. “Nice,” he murmured drowsily. “How do you think Reagan will take this?”

“Take what?”

“That her two lovers have fallen in love with each other?”

Ethan smiled and kissed the side of Trey’s head. “She can’t be too upset seeing as she loves both of us.”

“And we both love her.”

“Do you think I should be the one to tell her?” Ethan said.

“We’ll tell her together.”

“In a few minutes…” Ethan’s eyes drifted shut.

Chapter 34

“I don’t understand what I’m doing wrong,” Reagan said to Dare, so frustrated she was nearly in tears.

“You’re doing everything right for Max,” Dare said. “You’re doing nothing right for yourself.”

“But I’m supposed to be replacing Max,” she said.

“No, you’re supposed to be our new rhythm guitarist. Let’s play “Bite” again. This time don’t try to be exactly like Max. Just play it. How you feel it.”

Play it with feeling, Reagan. That’s how you win first prize. Not by getting it perfect, but by making the audience part of the music, the advice her father had repeated to her before every competition entered her thoughts. Is that what Dare meant?

She started her part of “Bite” the way Max played it. She glanced at Dare, who yawned exaggeratedly. She made a face at him and then tried to give up on copying Max exactly. She relaxed her stance and let her fingers move with more fluidity.

“Better,” Dare said. “Again. Even looser this time.”

They played it again. And again, until she finally figured out what everyone had been trying to tell her. She wasn’t Max and shouldn’t try to be.

Reagan finally felt like she’d found the spark she’d been missing. It felt like the weight of the world had lifted from her shoulders and she loved Dare for helping her. Adored him. She one hundred percent understood why he meant so much to Trey. She supposed Dare was almost like her big brother too. Her very attractive big brother who made her think incestuous thoughts.

Dare squeezed her shoulder. “You’ve got it now. Don’t lose it again.”

She nodded.

“Go rest up for tonight’s show,” he suggested.

“Thanks, Dare.”

“No problem.”

She handed her guitar off to some roadie and glanced around backstage for Ethan. She checked behind the equipment cases. In the sound equipment pit at the side of the stage. In the empty stands that would soon be filled with tens of thousands of fans. He was gone. He bitched at her constantly about going off on her own and he was nowhere to be found. Maybe he’d gone to the bathroom. She supposed overprotective bodyguards had to take a piss sometime. She had finished rehearsing much sooner than she’d anticipated, so he’d probably thought he had plenty of time. Maybe she should just wait here for him.

After several fidgety minutes of waiting, she went to ask around. “Have you seen Ethan?” she asked one of Exodus End’s stage crew.

“The big, good-looking guy who follows you around?”

“Yeah. Him.”

“I think he went that way with Trey Mills.” The guy pointed toward the corridor where the dressing rooms were located.

She grinned, hoping they were waiting for her in her dressing room. Naked. “Thanks.” She could really use some alone time with her guys before she had to be onstage.

The corridor was blissfully empty. Ethan worried too much. She was perfectly capable of walking twenty feet to her dressing room without a muscle-bound hunk to defend her. When she reached the door labeled with her name, she opened it and paused on the threshold. Well, she couldn’t say that she blamed Ethan for wandering off. And they were naked, but hadn’t bothered to wait for her to join them. Ethan and Trey were tangled in each other’s arms, fast asleep on the sofa. They looked cozy and sexually sated. Reagan watched them sleep for a moment, a gentle smile on her lips. She hadn’t been sure how seeing them together without her involvement would make her feel. She hadn’t expected to feel giddy and full of wonder. In a little while, she’d wake them and demand to become part of their tangle of limbs, but for now she was content to watch them sleep. They seemed so content. Tender. Loving. She wondered what had brought on this change.

She caught her own reflection in the mirror and her heart skipped a beat. It stopped beating for several seconds as the message scrawled in lipstick on the mirror caught her attention.

You took what’s mine, Reagan Elliot. I will have it back.

From behind, a hand covered her mouth and nose. Startled, Reagan sucked a deep breath into her lungs. Something chemical accompanied her inrush of air. Her vision blurred. Head swam. “I’ve come to take back what’s mine,” a deep voice said in her ear. Familiar. She’d heard it before, but couldn’t place where. She managed to bang into the door—hopefully loud enough to wake her snoozing bodyguard—before she totally blacked out.

Chapter 35

Ethan’s eyes flipped open. Trey flopped from sofa to the floor when Ethan sat up abruptly. Someone had slammed the door shut or something. Reagan would not be happy if someone had caught him in a compromising position with Trey.

Silence greeted his straining ears. It was not comforting.

“I don’t hear music,” Ethan said and jumped to his feet. He grabbed his pants and hopped into them, still zipping his fly as he darted into the corridor. Except for the bang of a hammer somewhere, the stadium was silent. Sometime between when Ethan had closed his eyes and the door had banged shut, Reagan had finished rehearsing. Some bodyguard he’d turned out to be. He wondered if she’d seen him and Trey together and had stormed off in anger. There was no guarantee that she’d approve of their romantic interest in each other just because she had no problem with their sexual relationship.

“Where is she?” Trey asked. He’d managed his pants and T-shirt but was still barefoot.

“She’s probably with the band.” Ethan glanced over his shoulder and caught his reflection in the mirror and the message scrawled above his astonished face in red lipstick.

“Do you smell something?” Trey asked.

Ethan took a deep breath through his nose. It was faint, but there was no mistaking the sweet chemical smell. “Ether.” He shoved Trey in the direction of the stage. “Go see if she’s with the band. I’ll go out behind the stadium. He’s been in her dressing room again. I’m afraid he’s taken her this time.”

Trey raced down the corridor while Ethan went in the opposite direction. When Ethan burst through the back doors, it took his eyes a moment to adjust to the bright sunshine. Even when he could actually see what was happening, he blinked several times because he couldn’t believe it.

“Get back or I’ll kill her. I’ll do it.” Some wild-eyed guy with bizarre burgundy-and-green-striped bangs had a guitar string wrapped around Reagan’s throat. She was unconscious and apparently heavier than she looked. He was having a hard time keeping the wire tight while he tried, rather unsuccessfully, to drag her backwards toward the parking lot. Her heels dragged across the pavement and slowed the wiry-framed guy down. While given time, the wacko could potentially kill her with the guitar string, Sinners’ road crew didn’t look ready to give him the opportunity. Jake had a guitar cocked like a baseball bat and was slowly inching his way behind the guy. Rebekah had a cymbal in hand and was looking for an opening to practice her discus throwing. Others hopped out of the back of the semitrailer with pieces of equipment and heavy tools.