Insider (Exodus End #1) (33 page)

“Why did she have to shut the door?” Logan grumbled. “It’s not like we don’t already know everything there is to know about Max.” Including how he liked to steal other band members’ girlfriends and knock them up. “He better keep his hands to himself.”

“You’re being ridiculous,” Steve said. “If she spreads her legs for him, then she’s not worth your time. Isn’t that right, Dare?”

Dare glanced up, his attention diverted from the glow of his tablet computer’s screen. He scowled slightly as if in pain—and perhaps he was hurting since the bridge of his nose was all bruised. “Some women are worth any hardship,” he said quietly before returning his attention to his computer.

Yeah. Exactly. And Toni was one of those rare women. But Logan much preferred not having to brave any hardship. He liked how easily they’d come together. Life was fucked up enough without having to worry about heartache. Or hardship. Or Max using his smooth moves on an innocent young woman who happened to rock Logan’s world. “He better keep his hands to himself,” Logan repeated. Then he flopped onto the sofa next to Steve’s enormous feet. Steve nudged Logan in the arm with one big toe.

“What’s so great about her anyway?” Steve asked.

Logan turned his head and squinted at the lounging drummer, trying to decide why Steve wanted to know. “You better keep your hands to yourself as well,” he said.

“And whatever you do, don’t let her hug you.” Dare pointed at the bridge of his nose without looking up.

“I apologized for that,” Logan reminded him.

“And I’ve decided not to kill you unless you break Toni’s heart,” Dare said, his voice unsettlingly calm. “Then it’s on.”

“And why are you so protective of her?” Steve asked Dare. “You barely know her.”

“She reminds
me
of Vic,” Trey said from his seat at the dining table.

Logan was surprised the guy could talk after all the making out he’d done with Reagan all morning. Every time Toni had entered the room, the two of them started going at it like a pair of horny toads. Logan understood the need to physically express admiration for a woman, but it seemed that those two were up to something. Reagan had insisted that Trey ride with them today. And that bodyguard of hers was nowhere to be found. Logan was pretty sure Reagan was trying to hide her weird relationship with two guys by overcompensating with the one she was willing to flaunt publicly. That had to be rough for the other guy.

“She doesn’t look anything like Vic,” Steve said.

Dare didn’t respond, but he’d gone very still.

“Not the way she looks,” Trey said. “The way she is. You know what I mean, don’t you, Dare?”

“No idea.” Dare stood from his recliner and headed toward the bathroom.

“She’s nice,” Trey said, catching his brother’s arm as he walked past. “A real sweetheart.”

“Sorry, I don’t see it,” Dare said. After brushing Trey’s hand off his arm, he entered the bathroom and closed the door.

“He does see it,” Trey muttered. “That’s why he’s so broody.”

“So Vic is . . .” Reagan prodded, shaking her head at Trey.

“One of Dare’s many ex-girlfriends.” Trey leaned over to steal a kiss. “Why did you make Ethan ride in the van again?”

“I think Toni suspects something.”

“So?”

“So, she’s a journalist. If the truth about the three of us gets out, my reputation will be destroyed.”

“Your reputation?” Trey said. “What about
my
reputation? When you’re a metal guitarist, sleeping around is expected. But being gay?” He shook his head.

“I’m trying to protect you as well.”

“Maybe I’m tired of hiding our relationship. You know this is killing Ethan.”

The door at the back of the bus slid open, and Reagan grabbed Trey for another round of making out. Logan hopped to his feet, examining Max for signs of seduction. His clothes were still in place, hair not mussed by exploring fingers, lips not swollen from passionate kisses. Logan released a relieved huff of air.

“That was quick,” Steve commented. “Maybe this won’t be so bad after all.”

“We have to reschedule a second interview later,” Max said with a mischievous grin directed toward Logan. “Toni got so hot and bothered sitting next to me that she couldn’t concentrate.”

Logan reminded himself that Max was just fucking with him and that he shouldn’t punch him in the nose. Besides, his bandmates were now expecting him to hit them if they messed with Toni. It was unlikely he’d be able to sucker punch another one of them.

“Well, I’d better help her with that then,” Logan said, “before we set Aimes loose on her.”

When Logan tried to brush past Max in the corridor, Max caught him by the arm. “If you break her heart, I
will
fuck you up,” Max said.

“Why does everyone keep thinking I’ll break her heart?” Logan said, punching Max in the shoulder to encourage him to release his arm.

“The bigger question is,” Steve said, “why do you guys care so much?”

It was unusual for his bandmates to give a shit about another guy’s romantic interest. But then, Toni was unusual. At least in their circle of acquaintances.

Once Logan gained his freedom from Max’s loose hold, he slid open the door to the back lounge and found Toni typing furiously on her laptop.

“Are you busy?” he asked. She was obviously busy. What he really meant was stop being busy and pay attention to me, please.

She glanced up from her laptop screen. Her cheeks were streaked with tears, and the tip of her nose was doing its best impression of Rudolph the reindeer.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, torn between wanting to comfort her and wanting to yell at Max for upsetting her. The need to touch her proved victorious. He sat beside her on the sofa, closed her laptop, and set it on the table.

“Logan,” she chastised. “I was in the middle of something.”

“Yeah,” he said. “My lap.”

He tugged her to sit on his thighs and wrapped both arms around her. He doubted he’d ever get used to his all-encompassing need to touch her, to hear her voice, see her smile. He wasn’t the kind of guy who got wrapped up in some woman. But apparently he was the kind of guy who got wrapped up in
this
woman.

“Why were you crying?” he asked, pressing a kiss to her head when she relaxed against him.

“It’s nothing,” she said. “Just something Max said.”

“Did he hurt your feelings again?”

“Again?”

“Last night,” he reminded her. “When he called you a geek.”

“I told you that didn’t hurt my feelings.”

Yep, that was why she’d fled the stage. No hurt feelings there. He wasn’t buying it.

“And he didn’t call me a geek. He just didn’t deny it. But no, he didn’t hurt my feelings. He told me about Vic.”

Logan was surprised that Max would bring up Vic in an interview. Unless . . . “Did you ask him about her?”

“I know I shouldn’t have, but I’m naturally curious.”

“Toni, you can’t include anything about Vic in your book. Promise me.”

“I promise I won’t. I didn’t ask him for the sake of the book. I asked him as a friend.”

A friend? Max didn’t have friends of the female persuasion.

“Toni, don’t let your guard down around the guy. He’s a total player.”

“Like you?” She turned her head to grin at him crookedly.

“Exactly like me,” Logan said. “When it comes to women, the dude has only one thing on his mind.”

She laughed. “So he
is
like you.”

“I’m being serious here.” Which was why he slid his hand to her full breast and gave it an appreciative squeeze. His cock stirred to life, and he shifted her slightly so he could feel her soft ass against his perpetual arousal.

“Obviously,” she said, a hint of laughter in her voice. She squirmed against him, sending unexpected waves of pleasure coursing down his length. “Can you send Steve in? I’m ready for him now.”

“What? You’d better only be ready for me.”

“I’m always ready for you,” she said, “but I have to work. I’m not even sure why you came back here. I told you I didn’t want to see you until it’s your turn.”

“It sounds like you’re letting the guys take turns screwing you,” he grumbled.

“Well, I do want this book to be authentic. That would be the fastest way to get to know all of you.”

Even though he knew she was teasing, his heart shuddered with a painful lurch.

“Don’t even joke about that, Toni.”

“You don’t think a chapter on what it’s like to sleep with each member of the band would make the book an instant best-seller?”

“Probably, but I don’t give a fuck about the success of the book.”

She turned to sit sideways across his lap and buried a hand in his hair. She stared into his eyes until his throat tightened with emotion. “You can trust me, Logan. I’m not going to hurt you.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about.” He was such a fucking liar. “I wouldn’t want them to taint your sweet, clean pussy. It’s mine.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Oh, really?”

“Yeah.”

“I guess I’ll just have to blow them instead.” She shrugged and slid from his lap. “Go get Steve for me,” she said, and then she opened her mouth wide, stretching her jaw.

Twinges of anger made his hands clench. “You’re not blowing anyone but me.”

“What do you care?” she spat. “I’m just your friend, right?”

“Yeah,” he said.

“And all you really care about is that you’re the first guy to stick his dick in me.”

It wasn’t true—not even close to true. He cared so much about her that it scared the shit out of him. Which was why instead of telling her how he really felt, he stood from the sofa and crossed the room. He slid the door open and called into the corridor, “Hey, Steve. Toni’s ready to give you your blow job now.”

“Take it easy on her,” Max said with a wink. “Her throat’s probably still sore after the one she gave me.”

Logan glared at him, annoyed that his attempts to get a rise out of Toni had backfired. At that moment, he hated every asshole in his band.

with Steve Aimes

“I was promised a blow job,” Steve said as he plopped down on the sectional and spun to lie on his back, his bare feet on the cushion and his fingers at the waistband of his jeans.

“Knock it off,” Toni said, her cheeks flaming with embarrassment.

“So you’ll suck Max’s d—”

“I didn’t suck Max’s anything,” she insisted.

“That’s not the story he’s telling.”

“Yeah, well, he’s lying.”

“You could try playing along,” Steve said, his grin appearing upside down to her. “We just like fucking with Logan’s head, you know. I didn’t mean to insult you.”

“I’m not insulted,” Toni said. Well, maybe she had been, but she wasn’t telling him how easily rattled she was. It was bad enough that Logan realized it. “I’m just trying to be professional for this interview.”

“Is the tape rolling?” Steve asked, eyeing her recording device on the coffee table.

“Yeah.”

“Oh. Well, start asking your questions, then. I promise to keep my dick in my pants for the duration of the interview.”

She couldn’t tell if he was joking or not. He didn’t really think she was giving out blow jobs during the interviews, did he? “Uh,
thanks
?”

Toni was determined to stick to her script this time. Even though her scribbled note about Steve’s second ex-wife kept drawing her attention as if it were flashing in neon lights. Despite her interest in tales that had no business in the band’s interactive biography, she started with the first question.

“If you could spend a day with any musician—living or dead—who would it be and why?”

“Zach Mercer.”

“Weren’t you with him yesterday?”

“Yep. And I’d be hanging out with him today too if I didn’t have to be here for this interview.”

He didn’t sound pissed or annoyed—just stating a fact—but Toni had to dig. She couldn’t help herself.

“Are you two really close?”

Steve tilted his head back on the sofa cushion so he could look up at Toni, who was seated at the top of his head. “You don’t believe that rumor, do you?”

“What rumor is that?” She honestly had no idea.

“That we
like
each other.”

Confused, she scrunched her brow. “If you’re friends, you obviously like each other, right?”

“You have no idea what I’m talking about, do you?”

Not a clue, but she decided he’d talk more if he thought she knew what he was alluding to. “I didn’t think you’d want anything about that rumor on record.” She glanced pointedly at her recorder.

“Actually, I would like to go on the record about that rumor. I don’t know if Zach is gay. I don’t really care if he is. He’s a cool guy. But I’m absolutely not gay. I’ve been married, for Christ’s sake.”

“Twice,” Toni said, knowing he was off guard and that it was the perfect time to get answers.

“Exactly. So just because I get a little touchy-feely when I get drunk doesn’t mean I like to have butt sex with my friends. Understand?”

“Perfectly.”

“Just because assholes like to take pictures of me hanging on Zach at an after-party and post said incriminating pictures all over the Internet with memes about drummers banging each other, doesn’t mean it’s true.”