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She shrugged.
I laughed and she smiled. Then I dragged her—well, there wasn’t much dragging because she was willing—upstairs and took her clothes off again. We had slow, lazy sex with her riding me until I flipped her over and made her wait. Once the hardness in her gray eyes slipped away again, I let her come around me. And it was sweet as fuckin’ hell.
Crisis reached for my hand as we walked up the cobblestone path to Logan and Emily’s house. Their German Shepherd, Tear, bounded toward us, his tail wagging as he woofed and greeted us one by one with his nose in butts and crotches.
Luke and Roman were with us, and, despite two more texts, both one words in capital letters BITCH and TEASE, which Vincent had shown me as we lay in bed the previous night, we decided it best to get out of the condo and the city for the day. I had studying to do, and the band had an album to produce. Ream also wanted to see me, so I went with them, making it the time to tell Ream about us.
The farm was stunning, a paved tree-lined driveway with paddocks for the horses on either side as far as the eye could see. The stone house was massive, with a wraparound porch and a gorgeous balcony that overlooked the property from the third floor. There were several work vans in front of a four-car garage, and I heard hammering coming from the back of the property.
Kite knocked on the door and before it opened, I felt Crisis’ hand slip in mine.
I heard footsteps on the other side of the door and straightened my shoulders. Crisis and I were together and I’d protect that. My brother had accepted our friendship, but this was on another level, especially when there was the issue of the girl, Tammy, hovering.
Kite half-turned to me. “This,”—he nodded to Vincent and my hands linked—“I support and I know Logan will, too. Ream will”—he quirked the pierced brow—“after his initial shock.”
Tear barreled past us as soon as the door opened. He grabbed a black motorcycle boot off a mat then skidded across the stone floors and disappeared around the corner. “Tear!” Logan shouted. But the dog was gone with Logan’s boot.
It took all of a second before he registered Crisis’ hand in mine. He shifted to the side, hand on the frame of the door, eyes widening for a brief second before a small grin emerged as he met my eyes.
“Good to see you, Haven.” I was thankful he didn’t say anything about the obvious change in Crisis and mine’s relationship. “You want to watch us record? Or Emily’s out in the barn overseeing the workmen.” He chuckled. “You might be safer with us. She is on a rampage about the windows in the barn being put in wrong.” He looked to Luke. “Don’t worry, Darryl is with her.” I was guessing Darryl was another of Shield Security.
“I’d like to watch the band,” I replied. I’d never seen them live and I was a little excited to see Crisis and my brother rock their guitars.
He smiled. “Good.”
We walked through the house to a staircase which led downstairs. “I think the song needs to slow down,” Kite was saying to Logan as we walked through what I’d consider a guy’s playroom with pool and foosball tables. “Sounds off, like we’re rushing it.”
Logan nodded as he opened a door. “Okay.”
Crisis put his hand on the small of my back to guide me into the room. “I was thinking the first few chords should be no instruments. Like a ballad.”
“Yeah. Let’s try that,” Kite agreed.
I stopped when I saw my brother leaned over, hand resting on the recording table, talking to some guy I didn’t know. He glanced up and smiled at me, but it was soon lost to lowered brows when he saw my hand in Vincent’s.
“Give us a minute, Dan,” Ream said to the other guy.
The guy nodded and walked out a door on the other side of the room.
Logan and Kite remained on either side of us, neither saying anything, but ready for Ream’s reaction.
“Vincent and I are together.” Ream’s eyes cut to Crisis, who remained quiet and still. I knew he’d speak up if I needed him to, but he was giving this to me. “I want you to be okay with this.” I took a deep breath and Ream’s gaze came back to me. “I need you to be,” I corrected.
Ream’s shoulders were tense and he’d crossed his arms over his chest, legs braced. I saw the uncertainty flicker across his face as he took in what I was telling him. Ream knew Crisis’ history with girls and his overprotective nature was going to make it hard for him to accept this. He may have accepted us being friends, hanging out, even living together, but having a relationship was different.
What made this worse was the issue with Tammy, so Ream was not going to like this happening, especially right now.
His glare was directed at Crisis. “You’re putting my sister in danger.”
I stepped forward and put my hand on Ream’s chest. His heart raced beneath my palm and it took him a second before he dragged his gaze from Crisis to look at me.
I took a deep breath before I spoke. I knew how to be strong. I’d done it for years, but that was a different strength. One where I had to do things in order to survive. Things I wasn’t built to do, but forced to. Now, it was about finding my strength within my vulnerability and Ream needed to understand that no matter what stood in front of me, I wasn’t running. I was living.
“Do you remember when we were kids and I was in the closet, scared the wind would take me away?” He sighed, then nodded. “It did Ream. It took me away from you and I lived in its hold for years.”
His expression was pained as his lips pursed together.
