Myrna cupped his face with her free hand. “I will. I promise.”

“Jessica,” Brian said, tearing his gaze off his little family long enough to glance at Sed’s fiancée. “I know Myr won’t call me if there’s a problem, so you’d better.”

Jessica nodded.

“She can always call me if she needs anything,” Dare said. “I’ll be here.” Trey cleared his throat and luckily Dare was a mind reader. “I’ll just cancel my trip to Hawaii,” he added. “No big deal.”

Trey took Reagan’s hand. “Let’s go get on the plane.”

She was still gaping at Brian, so Trey had to give her a tug. She inhaled as if startled and looked at Trey. “Plane? Yeah, okay,” she said. She picked up the guitar case she had dropped.

Trey collected her suitcases. “We’ll see you in a couple of weeks,” he said.

Reagan said, “Nice to meet you all.”

“We’ll talk when you get off tour,” Myrna said. “I’d love to get the perspective of a female musician for the book I’m writing.”

“Sure,” Reagan agreed.

“I’ll be there in a few,” Brian said before continuing to say his good-byes with his wife. There was a lot of open-mouthed kissing involved in the process.

Carrying two guitar cases, Dare followed Trey and Reagan toward the back of the house where the airstrip was located.

“Sorry you didn’t get a better introduction,” Trey said to Reagan.

“It’s okay. Everyone’s excited about the new baby. I understand.”

“Brian isn’t going to handle this separation well,” Dare commented. “He’s going to need your support to get through this, Trey.”

Trey was always willing to support Brian. It felt kind of strange that Trey didn’t consider this an opportunity to try to get Brian to fall in love, or in bed, with him. Maybe Trey’s feelings for Brian were starting to change. “All the guys will be there for him. You know that,” Trey said.

“But he’ll need you most.”

“I never realized he was such a family man,” Reagan said. “I remember how crushed I was when I found out he’d gotten himself married and was no longer available. He really loves his wife though. I can tell.”

“Those two are forever,” Trey said and smiled.

When they reached the sleek black jet, Reagan entered first. She started squealing excitedly as soon as she was onboard. “This is amazing! Oh my God! I’ve never been on a private jet before.”

Trey and Dare followed her aboard. They watched her dart about the cabin as she inspected the wet bar and the entertainment center. The comfortable leather captain chairs, the sofa, and the bathroom. “Room in here for sex,” she announced.

A surge of lust pulsed through Trey’s groin. Their make-out session in the limo that morning already had his motor running in second gear, and that little comment shifted it into third.

“Yeah there is,” Dare murmured to Trey out of the corner of his mouth.

Trey was certain Dare knew that from experience.

“Reagan, sweetheart, you really need to work on your cool rock star veneer while you’re on tour with Sinners,” Dare said. “No matter how excited you are about something, you have to pretend it’s the most fucking boring thing you’ve ever encountered. It’s pretty much expected that you act that way. Like it or not, honey, you’re a rock star now.”

“I am?”

Dare nodded.

“Okay,” Reagan said. “I’ll try.” She pretended to stifle a yawn. “I can’t believe this jet doesn’t have an Olympic-sized swimming pool and full spa facilities. How can I be expected to exist under these horrible conditions? Where’s my fuckin’ beer? It better be cold.” She glanced at Dare, who laughed. “How’s that?”

“Much better.”

“I should probably warn you that Sinners don’t live like this,” Trey said. “Not even close.”

“I can’t wait to see the inside of your tour bus,” Reagan said. “I usually have to suck off at least two roadies to get in to see a band.”

Trey gaped at her and she laughed.

“I’m kidding,” she said.

When he relaxed, she added, “It usually only takes one.”

Dare tossed his head back and laughed until Trey thought he might pass out from lack of air. “She is so perfect for you, little brother.”

Trey couldn’t argue. He happened to agree.

* * *

Reagan kept one eye on the open door of the jet waiting for Brian Sinclair to make an appearance. She would do her damnedest not to go ape shit ballistic when she saw him, but as much as she’d been starstruck the first time she’d met Trey and the members of Exodus End, when she’d seen Brian she’d almost had a coronary. The man had entirely changed her life. If he hadn’t influenced her style of guitar-playing, she wouldn’t be in the incredible position at all. Still, she didn’t want to annoy him by prostrating herself at his feet or damaging his eardrums with rapturous squeals.

She heard voices outside the open door of the jet and her body stiffened.

“Are you nervous?” Trey asked. He reached across the aisle and took her hand to give it an encouraging squeeze.

“A little. I’ll try not to embarrass myself.”

“Why would you embarrass yourself?”

“Because I’m about to be trapped on a jet for more than two hours with the Brian Sinclair.”

“Last night you got laid by the Trey Mills.”

“And it was amazing,” she said, rolling her eyes toward the ceiling to express her bliss.

“If you play your cards right, you might get laid by the Trey Mills in the bathroom back there in about half an hour.” Trey nodded over his shoulder to the back of the plane.

“Do I get a hint?”

“A hint?”

“On how to play my cards right?”

“You’ve been playing them right since the moment I laid ears on you. Don’t change a thing.”

“The moment you laid ears on me?”

“Yep, nothing sexier than the way Brian Sinclair plays a guitar, except finding a woman who plays just like him.”

There he went again referring to Brian in a way that most men never would. She supposed they would be closer than most friends, seeing as they spent most of their lives crammed in a tour bus together. Still, something felt a little off about their relationship. Maybe it would make more sense to her when she spent more time watching how they interacted.

“Do you think Brian will show me some of his techniques?” Reagan asked. “Or are they secrets?”

“I’m sure he’d be happy to work with you. Hopefully it will take his mind off having to leave his family.”

Trey stared down at his thumbs. There had been a time when Sinners had been Brian’s family. And then he’d married Myrna. And now that he had Malcolm… Trey wasn’t sure where he fit in the man’s life anymore.

Brian climbed onto the airplane and took a seat across from Trey. “Look at the picture I just took,” he said, holding up his cell phone so Trey could see the screen. In the picture Brian had his arm around Myrna who was cradling Malcolm against her chest. All three of them were smiling like idiots. Even the baby, who probably just had some gas. The picture was a little blurry because Brian had taken it by holding the camera phone in front of them with an extended arm, but the love displayed in that candid moment stole Trey’s breath.

“It’s great,” he said.

Brian looked at the picture and smiled. “Yeah. She’s supposed to send me lots of pictures until I come home in a couple days.”

“A couple days? We have two more weeks of shows.”

“And any day I have off I’m flying back. Dare already said I could use the jet anytime I want.”

“You’re going to wear yourself out.”

“I don’t care. Knowing I’ll see them again in a few days is the only thing that got me on the plane.”

“I can only imagine how hard it was to say good-bye to them,” Reagan said.

Brian glanced at her and smiled warmly. “So you’re Trey’s new girl.”

Trey loved the man’s smile. It always showed in his eyes. He was so genuine. It was one of the many reasons why Trey had stayed in love with the guy for so long. Hell, he still loved Brian even if he was letting him go. Or trying to. It had been a lot easier to pretend he could move on when Brian had been out of sight.

“I guess you could say that.” Reagan beamed and Trey found himself just as smitten with her smile as he was with Brian’s.

“So you play guitar. Metal?” Brian asked.

The engines started and Reagan had to talk extra loud to be heard. “You’re my greatest influence.”

“I am?” Brian’s brow knitted with confusion. “How long have you been playing?”

“Three years,” Trey said. “Can you believe it?”

“That’s amazing. Can’t wait to hear your work,” Brian said. His phone beeped and he grinned when he looked at the screen. He held up the display for Trey to see. “Look! He’s feeding.”

Breast feeding. Trey averted his gaze. He’d licked those breasts about a year ago. And now… It was going to be a long two weeks.

“Please remember to turn off all electronic devices through the duration of the flight. Make sure your seatbelts are fastened during takeoff. I will let you know when it’s safe to move about the cabin.” The pilot’s voice came over the intercom. She had a sexy, British accent. Trey could have listened to her talk for hours. “Enjoy your flight.”

Brian switched off his phone but continued to hold it in his hand on his lap. He offered Trey a depressed smile before settling his gaze on Reagan. “So tell me how you came to be the rhythm guitarist for Exodus End,” he said.

She shifted into full-out gush mode, and Trey sat there grinning as she articulated every word with a hand gesture or facial expression. He’d never met anyone as animated as she was. Well, besides the few actors he knew. “So I’m at this club with my girlfriends. We all had a few too many and were trying to figure out how we were going to get home, when the bassist of my old band happens into the club. Chad’s a real sweetheart. I didn’t get along with our lead singer, but I’d work with Chad again. So I went to bum a ride from him and he says, ‘Just the guitarist I was looking for.’ I figured he wanted me to play for some new band he formed, but he shows me this ad in Guitar Planet for the contest with Exodus End. Go on Tour with Exodus End for a Year, or something like that. It said to enter you had to send a demo to the record company and sign a release and some other bullshit. Sounded like a big hassle to me. I didn’t want to enter. Didn’t think I had any business entering since there was no chance I’d ever win. As a metal guitarist, I take a lot of shit for being a chick, you know. Chad bribed me into agreeing by offering to give all my girls a ride home. Plus my friends were really enthusiastic about the idea and I was drunk as shit, so I somehow agreed to enter. I cut the demo in Chad’s basement the next day and sent it in unedited. I didn’t think there was a snow cone’s chance in a bonfire that they’d ever pick my demo for the live audition. I just did it to get people off my back.”