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“You guys ready?” the man running the show came out to ask.
“Fuck’s sake,” Val grumbled. “The Jag has to wait.”
Reed laughed. “Priorities. Yeah, we’re good.” He turned to face Elic and me, placing his hand on Elic’s cheek. “Are you going to be okay back here?”
Elic nodded. “There are a bunch of people. I’ll be fine.”
“He’s still in jail.”
“I know.” He took a deep breath and let it out. “It doesn’t mean I don’t worry.”
“It’s okay, love. None of these men will let anything happen to you.” Xaiden was an ex-fighter. Even without the power Dexen, Greer, and JJ possessed, Xaiden could take down anyone who came for Elic.
“I’m all right,” Elic said, though I thought it was more to himself than us.
“We’ll be right over there,” I told him. “We’ll be able to see you the entire time. Ignore the crowd, ignore the noise, and listen to us. Get lost in the music.”
“Thank you,” he whispered, then pressed a kiss to my lips before doing the same to Reed.
“My boys!” Dash yelled, slapping Reed and me on the back as he inserted himself into our moment. His blond hair was down in waves past his chin. I wondered if he was growing it out. He’d done it before. He also sweated his ass off while he played the drums and would whip his wet hair around. The fans always screamed loudly when he did it. Sweat went flying. It was gross, but Dash put on a hell of a show, especially when he took his shirt off.
“Hi, El.” Dash grinned. “Ready to watch your men strut around on stage for a few hundred people? How many are in attendance this year?”
“Not a clue,” I said. “Doesn’t matter. We play the same regardless.” I glimpsed at Slater standing off to the side, waiting for us. The second our eyes connected, he looked away. Whatever. I didn’t have time for drama tonight. I was here to play for our fans and for Elic. Slater and his opinions could stand over there, away from us, for all I cared.
I kissed Reed and Elic, then put my palm on Dash’s face to shove him away. He licked my palm. Jackass.
We were announced and entered the stage. Me followed by Dash, Slater, then Reed last. The crowd loved him most. None of us minded. He was mine now, mine and Elic’s. Everyone could love him from afar. No one got to have him like we did.
Reed waved to the crowd, who were packed in as close to the stage as they could get. “I’m so glad you could join us tonight,” he said into the microphone. “We love playing for the home crowd. There’s nothing better than putting on a hell of a show and crashing in our own beds afterward with the ones who make us smile.” He looked at me, then off-stage to Elic before facing the crowd again. “Dash, let’s go!”
Dash started us off and we found our rhythm like we always did. It didn’t matter Reed and Slater weren’t speaking or that I was still hurt by what happened. I couldn’t blame Slater too much. After all, I was the guilty one, not him. But I hated seeing how it affected Reed. And yeah, I was a little irritated Slater was in love with Reed. Who wouldn’t be when someone lusted after their partner? Through it all, I knew Reed didn’t return Slater’s feelings. No matter how many times he tried to be with others, he always came back to me. With Elic in the mix, Reed was in it with us for the long haul.
Reed turned and caught me watching him. He grinned while he belted out the chorus. What the crowd thought, whether they cared if we were stepbrothers and together, I was ignoring. If they were here, I hoped they still supported us. If they didn’t, they could find someone else to spew their hatred at. I’d been through too much in my life to give a fuck about the people not in my immediate family.
We went through a mix of songs tonight. We never stuck to one sound, rather creating and playing what we felt. Some of our songs were faster, some heavier, some not.
One song bled into another. The lights above heated our skin. Sweat collected on my upper lip, but I didn’t bother to wipe it away, needing my hands for the solo I was about to play.
When it was my turn for the spotlight, I stepped forward and played my heart out. I let the music take over, let it drive my fingers. It was loud as hell, just the way I liked it. I hit every note perfectly, my head down as my fingers danced over the strings. On the last note, I moved to the background and let Reed lead once more.
I felt so alive up here. I kept looking at Reed and Elic, loving how close they were. We were lucky to have Elic with us while we performed. He made everything better. If I had these two men, all was right in my world.
Deserve wasn’t a word I said out loud any longer, but I still thought it. Feeling like I deserved them was difficult. One thing was for certain though—I was done running. I meant it when I said I’d stay. There was no leaving them now. Not when I knew what they tasted like, what they felt like when we were together. Every touch, every kiss, amplified my need for them.
We played longer than we’d planned, which happened more often than not. When we were done, sweat was prominent and our voices were raw, Reed’s more than anyone else’s.
Elic’s smile lit up his face as we walked toward him. I wanted to pick him up and bury my nose in his neck, inhale everything that was him, but I was gross and needed a shower. Elic didn’t seem to mind. He jumped into my arms as my guitar swung to my back. Reed went behind El and the three of us shared a moment and kissed.
Dash hooted and hollered behind us, revved up from the show. Slater grinned too but was more subdued than normal.
“You guys were amazing!” Val yelled.
JJ slung his arm over Val’s shoulders. “This will never get old. We fucking know the band, Val. It’s surreal.”
“If you, Dex, and Greer ever have a commitment ceremony, they should play it.”
“Fuck yeah! Did you hear that, Dex?” He turned to face Dexen.
