Between Us (The Renegade Saints #3) (10 page)

I’d have to be blind and dumb not to notice Ian’s attraction to Devon. My initial reaction was annoyance—almost like I don’t want to share her. I shook it off quick. I want to share, I was merely feeling territorial for a minute, I’m sure. Me feeling possessive over anyone has never been an issue for me before, so I’m sure it will be fine now.

Since meeting Ian, I’ve known I just needed to find the right girl to entice him. Part of the thrill for me with people like him is the chase. This time, the chase is kind of annoying. He’s more uptight than anyone I’ve ever met. If Devon weren’t in the picture, I’d give up on Ian entirely. Yeah I was interested, but at this point I can tell he’s going to require a lot of work.

Finding Devon was completely unexpected. Yeah, I had been looking for a girl to share with Ian, but what I’ve found in Devon is completely different than what I expected. I’m more interested in her than I’ve ever been with anyone—male or female.

It’s pretty fuckin’ obvious, to me at least, the three of us get along well. There’s enough chemistry there to work with. I know I sound like a dick, but keeping shit regulated by having three ways is how I do business. I like it—and it’s just the way things have been for me. I need to keep my mind on the end goal—and the end goal involves three of us in a bed.

You’d think with as much as I’ve fucked, I might be a bit jaded. I’ve certainly thought as much about myself in the past. I’ve never had a moment of insane lust—but being next to her in the fucking car, I wanted to pull over and kiss her. Even being in the horrific-smelling elevator with her was a turn on because she was so close to me. To say feeling that way is unusual would be a colossal understatement.

Walking into the Staples Center with Devon at my side fills me with a sense of pride. However, the pride is mixed with some weird primal response I’ve never experienced before. Any time another man looks at her, I find myself either giving them death glares or forcing myself not to tell them off. It’s a foreign urge I find myself battling often throughout the evening, because baby has got back and men are constantly zeroing in on her ass.

I’m trying to pretend the idea of being with her alone isn’t tempting. I don’t do alone. I’m tempted to talk to Flynn about it, but he’s like me. What we know about relationships could be written on one small piece of paper. Besides, if I talk to him, he’s just going to either get up my ass or narc me out to our family. I’m not down for that right now. Stepping into the private group box, I grin when I see everyone in the room. It’s my bandmates, some people from management and a few friends.

It takes a few minutes for us to make our way around the room and greet everyone. I gave Flynn, Gavin and Ty the heads-up earlier about Ian and Devon coming along, so there’s no surprise. As far as they’re concerned, we’re just bringing them into the fold.

Ian and I each stay close to Devon as the night goes on. I had a feeling she would be outgoing and I’ve been proven correct. She’s engaging and people seem to naturally gravitate to her. I’ve enjoyed being able to see first hand why she’s such a phenomenal documentarian. She’s alert to the people and situations around her, always taking everything in. In many ways, it reminds me of Gavin. He’s always watchful and aware of his surroundings, and he’s got excellent radar about people and their motives. He’d make a great detective. Although Devon watches people the way he does, I don’t think she’d be able to function as a detective. She stands out far too much, both in personality and appearance. I sure as fuck notice her.

Several times in the last few hours, Ian and I have shared eye contact over her head. He and I need to talk, and soon. I’m going to do whatever I have to do to get him on board. I sense Devon will be the easier of the two to entice. Living my life the way I have over the last decade, I’ve developed good internal radar about who is and is not amenable to ménage.

Devon looks at me with hunger, and the chemistry between us is electric. I’ve also seen her looking at Ian and I’m pretty damn sure she’s attracted to him. I thought I’d feel relieved to know that for certain, but my first reaction was annoyance. Selfishly, I want all of her attention on me, not that I’d ever be able to handle that.

When the concert is over, I realize I never really heard more than a few notes of any of the songs. I’ve been so tapped into watching Devon, the show didn’t resonate at all. It’s a first for me. Normally, live music holds my attention like nothing else.

The box clears out fairly quickly once the concert is finished. A few of the guys are heading backstage to say hello, but I took a pass and told Tyson to pass along my regards. After the room is empty except for the three of us, I’m given the perfect opportunity to talk to Ian alone when Devon excuses herself to the bathroom. I step in closer to him than normal, essentially pinning him into a corner. I enjoy his harsh inhalation.

I gesture between the two of us and then toward the bathroom door. “We should probably talk about this.”

He stands up straighter and goes tense.

“I wasn’t aware there was anything to talk about,” he answers stiffly.

I step a little closer, leaving less than an inch between us. I smirk when I note his eyes dilating.

“Playing stupid doesn’t suit you.”

I’m surprised when he lifts his hand, sets it on my shoulder, and pushes me back. I wasn’t expecting any kind of aggression from him.

“I’m not playing,” he says defensively. “Whatever it is you think needs to be discussed, you’re barking up the wrong tree.”

I roll my eyes. He’s in such deep denial, I’m pretty damn sure he’s built an island there.

“We’ll see,” I assure him. “And I’m betting it will come to a head sooner rather than later.”

“Just because you want something, doesn’t mean you can have it,” he snaps.

It’s all posturing. His mouth says one thing, but I’ve spent a lifetime playing this game. Glancing down, I smirk as I spy his obvious erection.

“You were saying something about not wanting me?”

“I’m not fucking gay,” he hisses.

Raising an eyebrow, I shake my head. “Never said you were. I’m not gay, either.”

“Looks that way to me,” he argues.

“So eager to label,” I chastise. “I see you need it spelled out. I’m not gay, Ian. I’m bisexual.”

“What the fuck,” he croaks. “You’re too fucking much. I don’t want to do this right now!”

Taking another step back, I smile. “But you
do
want to do this,” I say triumphantly.

He takes a harsh breath and looks away. “Please,” he says imploringly. “Not now.”

I take a few steps back and nod. “We’re going to have to talk about it at some point, Ian. You can only avoid it for so long.”

“We’ll see about that,” he responds.

The sound of Devon’s heels on the tile put an end to any response I might have made. I know she notices the tension between Ian and I, but she doesn’t comment on it.

Ian remains mostly silent on the drive to his house. I’d say it sucks, but I’d be lying since it means Devon and I got to talk about something we both love—the
Howard Stern Show
. Her sense of humor makes her hotter, in my opinion. A girl who loves the Stern show, likes to eat real food and has a slamming body? She’s almost too good to be true. But she isn’t—she’s fucking real.

On the drive back to Ian’s, Devon peppers him with questions about his
USA Today
interview. He’s much more at ease with her than he is with me, which makes sense considering how hard he’s trying to keep his attraction to me from boiling to the surface. He’d probably fuck her in a nanosecond. The very thought has my hands clenched tightly around the steering wheel.

Listening to them talk, I experience a pang of jealousy. I like when she and I are alone together, far more than I should. Turning down Ian’s street, I breathe a sigh of relief. Bringing the car to a stop in front of Ian’s, I turn and look at him over my shoulder.

“Incubus was great,” he says. “Thanks for the invite. I had fun.”

He’s stretching the truth, but I appreciate his effort at polite conversation. Drawing attention to whatever his deal is would make Devon uncomfortable and I want no part of that.

“Just think,” Devon chimes in happily, “the next time we’re at a concert together, it’ll be opening night of the tour.”

Her words get a real smile out of Ian. “I’m crazy excited about the tour,” he answers. “We’re going to see so many new places. I’ve only been to a handful of states, and I’ve never left the country.”

“It’s going to be life-changing,” Devon responds.

I went into this tour knowing life would change—but now I’m getting the feeling the change I was expecting isn’t the only one coming my way.

The drive to her apartment from Ian’s house is over far too quickly for my liking. I like being around Devon. When we get to the elevator, I take a tentative sniff. Relieved to find it smells fresh, as opposed to foul as it did earlier, I walk in. The doors shut behind us leaving Devon and I alone in a small space. Turning her way, I hold back a groan when I find her looking up at me.

The sexual tension between us right now could be cut with a knife. I want to kiss her, badly. The flush of color on her cheeks and the look in her eyes is a pretty good indicator she wants me to do just that. If I were a different guy, I’d be all over it right now. But there’s no way I can start something with her alone.

The lavender and vanilla scent of her tickles my nose as I take a step toward her, instead of the step back I’d been planning to take. Fuck it. I’m going in. As I take another step forward, the elevator doors slide open.

“Hey Devon,” a babydoll type voice says.

As I turn from Devon, the overwhelming stench of bad perfume hits me square in the face. I watch as a beautiful girl in a Backstreet Boy hoodie steps onto the elevator. Devon and I jump off at the exact same time, like it’s about to plummet forty stories and we can’t get out of it fast enough.

“Hi Brenda,” she says when she’s no longer within smelling distance of the elevator. “I’d love to chat but I’ve got stuff to do. Bye!”

As the elevator is closing, Brenda lets out a disgusted sound. “You’re always busy,” she whines.

Devon is saved from having to answer when the doors close all the way. I could do without that horrible odor for the rest of my life, but Brenda’s timing was impeccable. I was about to start something that could’ve made shit even trickier than it already is.

I stay with Devon as she lets herself into her apartment. Once she’s in, I ask where the stairs are, cause no fucking way am I getting on that elevator again. After she tells me where it is, I thank her for coming with me and haul fucking ass to leave. I’ve never run from a girl—or a guy—before, but with Devon I feel like I’m not on solid ground. It’s like everything I’ve known disappeared in the blink of an eye. I need to get ahold of myself, quickly.

I’ve never had a problem keeping myself aloof before. I’m sure this is just a case of temporary insanity.

A
s soon as I give my name, the bouncer at the most popular, and hardest to get into, club in Los Angeles unclips the velvet rope and steps aside so that Lana and I can enter. “Down the hall to the right,” he barks. “Your people are in the VIP lounge.”

My people. I smile when he says it. I really feel like I am part of the Renegade crew these days. Tonight is yet another sign that I’m with the band. The line to get in is unbelievably long, so there’s no way I would ever have even attempted to get into this place otherwise. As we walk in and I see the setup, I have to admit it’s really cool. The music is bumping and the place is packed with people dancing.

Two huge men in suits are standing side by side in front of what is clearly the VIP area. I know this because I recognize that one of the men is Morris, the security guard I met on the first day of work. He inclines his head once when he sees me before stepping to the side so Lana and I can get past. There are neon-accented see through steps leading up to the VIP area, which makes me giggle. It makes me think the place is half awesome club, half really cheesy porno set.

The second I get to the top step, I see Cole. He’s standing with Gavin and two men I don’t recognize, but as soon as he sees me, he excuses himself and comes my way. His eyes are trained on me like laser beams, and his gaze sweeps over me from head to toe, twice. When he looks back at me, I see the heat in his eyes. He definitely likes what he sees.