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“You’re going to get a lot of shit from your fans and every asshole reporter who decides the three of you shouldn’t be together, especially since you’re related.”
“Not by blood,” I growled.
“Doesn’t matter. They’ll look for any angle they can to slam you. I know because they did the same to us. To Greer’s brother and his partners. And to my brother and his. You already know this, but don’t listen to any of it. If you’re happy, fuck the rest of the world.” He looked at my mom. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be. You’re right. Cas, Reed, El, you have our support. No matter what happens, we’re here for you. We’re also very happy for you.”
19
REED
The relationship I was building with Casper and Elic became a journey with pins to mark big steps. First, it was my talk with Casper, then the three of us talking together. Next, it was telling our parents and Greer, Dexen, and JJ since they were at dinner too.
Elic was amazing, putting everything out there so nothing was hidden from my parents and Cadence. I would have stopped him from speaking if I thought the others would have judged him, but I’d known Greer for a long time. That wasn’t who he was. If Greer was in love, then I trusted his partners too.
As we were leaving so they could talk business, Greer pulled us aside and told us if we needed anything to come to them. They’d have our backs as well as the others in their circle. He also said Dexen was toying with the idea of a live band night at his club, Untouchable. Men stripped on stage but only down to a G-string. Casper thought it was crazy until Greer gave a ballpark figure of what Dexen would pay. It was not small and something to think about when I was back on speaking terms with Slater.
But I wasn’t thinking about that today. Slater could lick my left nut for the bullshit he’d said. Casper still beat himself up over it. Yes, I got where Slater was coming from. If I was on the outside looking in, I’d think the same thing. But I wasn’t. I had a close-up view of what took place. Casper wasn’t cruel to me. Didn’t call me names or hit me. Didn’t degrade me. He shut me out. He fucked me. Would sleep in bed with me if we weren’t home. As soon as the sun was up, the leave-me-alone Casper was in place. None of that was abusive. It was Casper protecting himself or rather, he thought he was protecting me.
If Casper hadn’t been remorseful, completely destroyed by everything he’d done, it would be different, but I saw it in his eyes every time. The internal wounds he suffered were deep. Nothing I said or did would have made it better.
Shaking my head, I toweled off from my shower and went into the bedroom to grab a pair of boxer briefs and a pair of shorts. The preppy look wasn’t me, so I had Bermuda-length shorts in various dark colors to go with my whole rocker look. I leaned right into that. It was my style. My shorts were a deep gray to match my hair. I went to the salon this morning with Aunt Nora and got the pink removed and the gray put in. Not gray like I was older, but a dark slate color. I did my entire head this time. Casper said I looked like a storm cloud. I told him maybe I was aiming for that. He called me a jackass and smiled. I’d do anything to see him happy.
Before we left to go to the salon, my aunt drew blood from Elic. He didn’t want to go to a clinic and have it done. He had a horrible fear of needles. Once, when he wasn’t paying attention, someone shot him up with something. He said he was scared to death the entire time and ended up curled in a ball under a bridge before he realized where he was. His ass was damp from the river water coming up. Elic told us he hadn’t been tested for anything and wanted to make sure he wasn’t carrying around a disease he wasn’t aware of. He said he used a condom during blowjobs, but the times he was raped… I couldn’t think about that without wanting to kill the assholes who did that to him.
Elic was already comfortable with my aunt, so she took care of him first thing. She got a blood and urine sample. She dropped them off on our way to the salon. As soon as the results came in, she’d let him know. Elic was brave for asking for the testing.
We still hadn’t kissed on the lips. Not Elic and Casper or Elic and me. Hell, I couldn’t remember when the last time I kissed Casper was. At some point over the years, we stopped doing it. Another way for Casper to keep me at a distance. I hated it then. Now, it was like waiting to open the most anticipated gift at Christmas. Once I got to kiss them both, I’d be in heaven, but only when they were ready.
After getting dressed, I went back into the bathroom and ran my fingers through my hair. I typically only put product in it when we were performing. While we would dine at the family restaurant tonight as our first official date, we would not get on the small stage. Casper and I decided we wanted our attention on each other and Elic, not a room full of people. There would be those who came up to us, but we’d found that when we ate there, we weren’t mobbed. People knew they had a chance of running into us when we weren’t touring, so they’d come to dine and if they saw us they were pretty relaxed about it, which we appreciated. We’d take photos and sign shit, but then be left alone. We were humans like everyone else and deserved to have a meal with our loved ones.
“You and your damn hair,” Casper said. Turning, I noticed him leaning against the doorway that led from my bedroom to the bathroom. His hands were stuffed into the pockets of his blue shorts. He wore a loose-fitting white T-shirt and had on flip-flops. Casper didn’t give a shit what people thought of him. He wanted to be comfortable above all else.
“You like my hair,” I said with a grin. “I specifically remember you fisting it to pull my head back so you could attack my neck on numerous occasions.”
“I didn’t attack your neck. You make it sound like I’m a fucking lion going after his prey.”
I propped my hip against the sink. “Aren’t you? Not that I’m complaining. I loved the way you held me so you could access every part of me.”
“Reed,” he growled and palmed his cock. “We’re supposed to leave in a few minutes. I can’t be hard.” Casper and I had agreed to no sex until it was all three of us. The anticipation was equally exciting and torturous. It was for the best, so when we were finally together it meant more. My cock was getting sick of my hand and toys though.
Starry pushed past Casper, wiggling her body through the small space in the doorway. She circled around me until I leaned down and petted her.
“You’re going to be on your own tonight,” I told her. “Guard the house for us.”
Elic’s chuckle drew my gaze up. Casper moved to the side, so I got a full view of Elic. His hair had been cut a few days ago. Cadence offered to do it. She cut Dad’s hair and some of the farmhands’. She was great with simple cuts, but she wasn’t getting anywhere near me with scissors. I left my hair to the professionals.
Tonight, Elic had his chestnut locks brushed back. Without it falling onto his forehead, his cheekbones were accentuated. They weren’t as sharp as they were when we first met him. He’d filled out and looked damn good. Bright eyes met mine and a shy smile graced his lips. He wore a pair of khaki shorts with a simple black T-shirt. The two men could have worn anything, and I would have thought they were attractive.
“I’m a lucky man,” I said. “Everyone’s going to be jealous of me tonight.”
Ducking his head, Elic reached down to pet Starry. “I’m the lucky one.”
“You two?” Casper asked. “Please. I’m grateful I haven’t been kicked out with a shoe mark on my ass. If Reed’s done with his hair, we should go.”
We filed out of my bathroom and down two flights of stairs with Starry rushing ahead of us. She probably thought she was going since she went with us every time we went to the farm.
“Stay here, okay?” Elic said and gave her a quick kiss. “Be good.”
