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.”