“What was the group home like?” she asked.

He shrugged. “Fight or die. I decided to fight.”

“Didn’t you make any friends there?”

He shook his head. “There was a reason we were the unwanted. I had my bass guitar. I dug it out of the trash. It was the only thing that survived the fire. And it was enough.”

Aggie wondered how he hadn’t ended up a mass murderer. How many traumatic experiences could one kid bear? And now here she was getting him shot and messing up what he’d worked so hard to achieve.

“You’re not unwanted. I want you, Jace.”

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He took her hand and squeezed it, but said nothing. She lay there, thinking of a way to get him closer to his bandmates. He seemed to identify most with Eric. Probably because neither had parents. Or maybe Jace and Brian could connect over Kara.

“Does Brian know you dated his sister?”

“God, I hope not. He thinks she was a perfect angel. I wouldn’t want to taint his memory.”

“His memory?”

“Kara died in a car accident. I never saw her again after our night together. I got too rough with her. Hurt her. Scared her. She called me a freak and told me she never wanted to see me again.” He caught her eye. “I’ll shut up now. Nothing worse than discussing old relationships with your girlfriend.”

“I’m sorry she died. She must have been so young.”

“Sixteen.”

Too young. “Did you love her?”

“Yeah.”

“And she made you happy?”

“For a little while.”

Aggie smiled sadly. “Then I’m grateful to her for that. But you are not a freak. I happen to like it when you’re rough.”

“That’s ’cause you’re a freak too.”

She laughed and nudged him in the ribs with her elbow. “Hey.”

“I think we belong together, Aggie.”

“I don’t think so.”

His body stiffened. She placed a hand on his chest and lifted her body to look him in the eyes.

“I know so,” she said. He smiled, and she melted. They stared into each other’s eyes until his cheeks went pink, and he looked away.

She decided that connecting Jace with Brian, using Kara as common ground, wasn’t the best idea. She shifted to plan B. “You know who’s a lot like you?”

His brows drew together as he contemplated her question.

“Eric.”

“Eric?” Jace laughed. “I was forced to grow up too fast. He never grew up at all.”

“He’s living his childhood now, since he didn’t have one as a kid. He’s coping with some of the same stuff you’ve been through in an entirely different way.”

“Aggie, you should have been a shrink. How do you know all this?”

She smiled and lowered her head to flick her tongue across his nipple ring. “I think they’d take my license away as soon as I took my whip to a client. But I suppose I do help men with certain components of their psychology—in an unconventional way.”

“And I’m your magnum opus, I presume.”

She shook her head. “You’re my heart, baby.”

He wrapped his good arm around her and drew her onto his chest. His heart thudded against her shoulder as he kissed her forehead tenderly. “I don’t deserve you.”

“I think I should be the judge of that.”

Aggie’s hand slid down his flat stomach, finding all his ticklish spots with ease. She wanted to hear him laugh. Maybe someday he’d manage it without her resorting to tickling.

The door opened, and Eric poked his head in. “Sounds like someone is having fun.”

Jace’s laughter died, and he grabbed Aggie’s wrists to cease her tickling. He picked his cuff off the mattress and hurried to secure it around his scarred wrist. Aggie offered him a sad smile and fastened it for him.

Wearing nothing but his black boxer briefs, Eric entered the room and closed the door behind him. “Can I come in?”

“Aren’t you already in?” Aggie asked.

“I meant in the covers.”

“We aren’t doing anything,” Jace said. “Just talking.”

“You? Talking? I didn’t know you knew how.” He crossed the room and dove across the bed beside them. “I’m so bored. Entertain me.”

“You? Bored?” Jace said. “I didn’t know you knew how.”

Eric laughed and punched him in the shoulder. “It’s all Sed’s fault. Since he and Jessica got engaged, the only action he’s been getting is between his ear and his hand.”

Aggie cocked a brow at him. “His ear?”

“You’re lucky you’ve been allowed to use the bedroom this whole leg of the tour. You don’t have to listen to him whispering into his phone all hours of the night and jerking off.”

“Ah, phone sex. I would like to listen to that actually,” Aggie said with a grin. “I bet he really gets into it.”

“Actually, he tries to be quiet, but we all know what he’s doing.” Eric rolled his eyes. “Like Jessica would know if he fucked a groupie or two.”

“She’d know.” Jace chuckled. “Sed can never hide a guilty conscious.”

“This is true,” Eric said.

“You guys really don’t have any privacy on this bus, do you?” Aggie asked.

“Nope. It’s been the downfall of many bands. It’s good we tolerate each other so well,” Eric said. “I really miss Sed’s performances though. And I don’t mean his vocals. But I guess you two will have to do. Get busy.” He propped his head on one hand and lifted his eyebrows.

“We really weren’t doing anything but talking,” Aggie said.

“What were you talking about?”

Her opening with Eric presented itself, so she took it. “Jace’s father. How he died.”

Eric glanced at Jace. “How?”

“I don’t like to talk about it,” Jace said.

“Do you have any other family?”

“Nope. No parents. No family.”

Jace wriggled to get up, but Aggie sprawled her body over his and rested her head on his shoulder. She lay there like a dead weight to keep him from avoiding this conversation.

“Did you go into foster care?” Eric asked.

“I was fifteen with a criminal record. No one wanted to open their home to a derelict. I stayed in a group home for almost three years.”

“Did you serve jail time?”

“Juvenile hall for a few months. For a couple of shoplifting charges—nothing too exciting.”

“The key to being a good shoplifter is not to get caught.”

“You shoplifted?”

“I was a holy terror as a kid,” Eric said.

Jace snorted and stopped trying to weasel out from beneath Aggie. “Nothing’s changed.”

Eric chuckled. “Maybe, but I don’t steal anymore. I’ve found other ways to get attention.”

“So you never got caught?”

“I didn’t say I was a good shoplifter. I got caught more than once. One of the many reasons I was shuffled from foster home to foster home. Never had to stay in a group home though. I hear those places are pretty rough.”

Jace shrugged. “I lived.”

“So how’d your dad die?”

“None of your bus—”

Aggie covered Jace’s mouth with her hand. “He died in a fire,” she said.

“Oh man, that would be a horrible way to go. Really sorry you lost him.”

Jace tore Aggie’s hand from his mouth. “Why? He was an abusive son of a bitch.”

“Maybe. But he was your father. I’m sure you didn’t want him to die.”

“You would be wrong.”

No, not the tough guy, Jace. Let your heart show, baby.

“Well, whatever. Are you two going to get down to business now, or do I have to go watch boring Internet porn?”

And now she’d lost Eric too. This was going to be more challenging than Aggie realized. She had to lower Jace’s defenses and raise Eric’s sensitivity. No problem. Yeah, right. Maybe some sexual intimacy would work—at least for getting Jace to relax. When she kissed him, his entire body stiffened. Well, except for the part she wanted to stiffen.

She lifted her head to look at him and found him glaring at her.

“What’s wrong?”

He glanced at Eric and then back at her. “Maybe I don’t appreciate you telling people about my personal business.”

“Don’t know what the big deal is, little man. It’s cool,” Eric said. “I’m sure your past isn’t half as depressing as mine was, but who gives a fuck? It’s over, and you can’t change it, so forget about it. Don’t take it out on Aggie.”

She looked at Eric. “No, Jace is right. If I crossed the line, then he has the right to call me on it.” Her gaze shifted to Jace, who looked stunned by her words. “I apologize for interfering.” But that didn’t mean she was going to stop.

“It’s okay,” he said quietly, his eyes downcast.

This time when she kissed him, he responded with enthusiasm. He was so forgiving of everyone else. Why couldn’t he forgive himself? She kissed her way to his ear. The one on the opposite side of where Eric was lounging, so Eric didn’t overhear.

“I love you.” She felt Jace’s face grow warm against her cheek as he blushed. Ah God, he was so damn cute. She sucked his earlobe in her mouth, flicking his small hoop earring with her tongue. His cock stirred against her hip. She brushed her nose against his face as she whispered, “Do you want Eric to leave us alone? I’ll kick him out.”

“He can stay.”

“Booyah!” Eric climbed from the bed and started removing things from the side table drawer. “I’m so fucking horny, I can hardly stand it.”

Aggie chuckled and lifted her head to peer into the drawer. “Anything cherry-flavored in there?”

“If you use all of Trey’s cherry-flavored oil, he’ll never forgive you.”

“I’ll risk it.”

Eric placed a tube in her outstretched hand.

She tossed the covers aside and slid down Jace’s body. “Your turn, baby. I owe you some pleasure after last night.”